A jubilant Dublin man who had been held on remand in Thailand since last May for stealing a camera from another tourist spoke to his relieved family soon after he was released from prison yesterday.
He was "over the moon", but his head was "in a mess", said Mr Wesley Higgins (22), from Coolock, who faced up to seven years in the notorious "Bangkok Hilton" jail if convicted of the theft. He was speaking on the RT╔ programme Liveline.
Mr Higgins was on holiday with his brother, Mario, in Phuket when his money - £300 - was stolen by a Thai woman, and he subsequently took the camera. Although the woman was arrested, he did not get his money back, his brother said. Bail was initially set at the equivalent of £4,000 and was subsequently raised to £8,000.
The family managed to raise the money. However, when Mario Higgins returned to Thailand with the money in September, bail was refused. The reason given was that the authorities wanted to make an example of his brother, Mario said. The crime was regarded as serious and "bad for tourism".
Mrs Betty Higgins, mother of the two brothers, appeared on Liveline to thank its presenter, Joe Duffy, and two Dublin politicians, Labour's Senator Joe Costello and Fianna Fβil's Mr Seβn Haughey, for making representations on behalf of the family.
Asked what her reaction would be when Wesley arrived home, Mrs Higgins said: "He'll need a good feed, a good sleep, and then I'll tell him off."