Attacked Middlesbrough couple expecting jailed 'elated' by fine

BBC News

12-03-2025

A couple who were expecting to be sent to prison after they were attacked by neighbours in Thailand are "elated" after being fined instead. Mary Byrne, 69, and her husband Desmond, 77, who emigrated from Middlesbrough in 2021, said they were "punched and kicked" by a younger couple in a dispute over a small garden.Their neighbours were prosecuted and Mr and Mrs Byrne were also charged, but instead of a jail sentence they have both received a small fine from a judge.Mrs Byrne's brother Tim Maley said they had also been told they would get their passports back, but the "champagne corks were not popping yet" until they were on a flight back to the UK.
In December 2023, the Byrnes were alerted to a commotion in their garden and said they were kicked and punched in a fracas which was caught on CCTV.Mrs Byrne said their neighbours were Thai kickboxers and the woman "continually stamped" on her head while her husband was "ferociously thumped 22 times".Mr Maley said he had spoken to the couple after their court appearance and that despite being "mobbed" by the Thai media, they were relieved at only being fined about £200 each.
Mr Maley told BBC Radio Tees the Byrnes were worried that the other couple might appeal the sentence.He said: "The judge did find them [the Byrnes] guilty to a minor degree and fined them but not to any great consequence and they are incredibly elated."They've told me they are going to get their passports back in a day and fingers crossed there won't be any comeback from the court."But they are very nervous and won't be popping any champagne corks yet in Thailand with family and friends."We have to wait until they are up in the air and on their way to the white cliffs of Dover."
'Magic bullet needed'
Pictures of the couple showed extensive facial bruising and cuts after the attack. Mrs Byrne said her husband kicked his leg up at one stage but did not strike anyone."I strongly believe, 100%, it was in defence," she said.After initially denying charges, the other couple are understood to have pleaded guilty.But in May last year, Mr and Mrs Byrne were called to a police station and told they were being charged with injuring their neighbours.The Byrnes said they had their fingerprints taken and passports confiscated. "We were extremely shocked," Mrs Byrne said."The superficial injuries to both of these people is laughable."Luke Myer, the couple's former MP, said he had been doing everything he could to raise the couple's plight with the Foreign Office.A Foreign Office spokesperson said it was in touch with two British nationals in Thailand as well as the local authorities.Mr Maley said the saga had gripped the media all over the world but the "real heroes" were the people of Teesside who had "got behind" the Byrnes by lobbying MPs and the Foreign Office."That help has come from the local area and rippled out and washed over the world - the magic bullet we needed," he said.
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.