Aussie mum fights for justice in Bangkok
Ron Corben
December 25, 2014, 6:47 am
An Australian woman and her 20-year-old son, who was brutally beaten in a nightclub on the resort island of Samui in June, say they are in a precarious situation after being forced from their Bangkok apartment amid rising legal and medical costs.
Annie Hansen-Bartel, originally from Melbourne, has appealed to the Thai Attorney-General's office over evidence given in the case and has garnered support from the Thai National Human Rights Commission.
The single mother has lived and worked in Thailand for the past 15 years.
She says she and her son Jack, who faces months of recovery with facial surgery, have had to relocate to Samui to live with friends because of escalating legal, travel and medical costs.
Mr Hansen-Bartel says he was attacked at the Mango Tree nightclub in Koh Samui on June 10 by two Asian-American students, later identified as visiting from an international school in China.
There have been conflicting stories about the case, which centres on the statement of a 19-year-old New Zealand woman he had met earlier that day.
Mr Hanson-Bartel claimed the attack was unprovoked and had left him and his mother facing medical and legal bills of more than $US140,000 ($A151,474).
But in a statement to Thai police the woman, who has since left Thailand, alleged Mr Hansen-Bartel was drunk and assaulted her, leading to the American men intervening and attacking the Australian.
Ms Hansen-Bartel says the police and Samui Island public prosecutor are pushing the case against her son despite having no evidence.
"My poor son, seriously, he's in therapy, he's in pain he has had surgeries (and) the public prosecutor is basically saying 'Jack was molesting a woman; these two boys stepped in to help her'," she said.
"The police know that Jack didn't do anything. They know the problem is unfortunately Jack got whacked by two guys who are very, very wealthy," she said.
Last week, Ms Hansen-Bartel met with representatives of the Thai Attorney-General's office in a bid to have the case against her son dropped.
A judge is to hear evidence in the cases on January 6.
