British tourist, 20, arrested 'for throwing egg at food delivery rider'

A British tourist was arrested for allegedly throwing an egg at a food delivery rider in Thailand.

Ovie Bell Abuneke, 20, reportedly attacked rider Theerapol Phonanan, 30, who was making a delivery at The Sky Sukhumvit condominium in Bangkok.

The Brit was said to have run onto the street shouting as he approached Theerapol in the early hours of Sunday, August 9.

Thinking the tourist needed help, the Thai motorist slowed down - only to be hit with an egg and struck on the head.

Ovie reportedly ran off laughing as Theerapol then chased after him.

CCTV footage shows the driver following the fleeing holidaymaker, who was seen escaping into the condominium.

Theerapol took pictures of himself with his hair and clothes, which were splattered with raw egg. He reported the incident to the Bang Na district station at 2:46 am local time.

Police later identified Ovie as the suspect and summoned him to the station for questioning on August 10.

Police Lieutenant Jirapat Timthong said the British man allegedly confessed to throwing the egg at Theerapol's head.

He said: ‘On the afternoon of August 10, investigators identified and summoned the perpetrator, who resides at the condominium where the incident occurred, for questioning at the station.

‘During interrogation, the perpetrator confessed that he threw a chicken egg at the victim's head, matching the details in the report.

‘Upon reviewing CCTV footage, it was found that at 1:49 am on August 9, the delivery rider had finished delivering food and was riding out of the condominium.

‘As he was leaving, an egg was thrown at his head, although the footage did not capture the direct moment of the throw.

‘The perpetrator later ran back into the condominium, while the rider followed him inside but was unable to catch up as the perpetrator had already gone up the building.

‘When we investigated earlier footage, we also discovered that at 8:24 pm on August 8, the perpetrator entered the lift and punched the lift wall, damaging property and internal fixtures inside the lift.

‘In addition, a security officer said that this foreign man had previously caused trouble with another rider.

‘The inquiry officer later scheduled a meeting for both parties to negotiate.

‘The perpetrator admitted his fault and fully compensated the victim for the damages, bringing the matter to an end.'

Thailand's economy relies heavily on tourism, though numbers are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Tourism is believed to account for up to 20 per cent of GDP, with revenue touching everything from cars and airlines to hotels and hospitals.

But in response to an influx of rowdy tourists, in May, the government slashed its visa-free stay for eligible foreign tourists from 60 days to 30 days. Officials said the tighter rule is meant to curb crimes committed by foreign nationals.