Brit accused of murder dies in Thai prison

A British man accused of murdering his wife because she refused to have sex with him died in a prison in Thailand while awaiting trial, it has been revealed.

Kevin Smitham, 51, died at Ubon Ratchathani Central Prison in August last year, but the UK Foreign Office “have only just publicly confirmed his death”, Metro reports.

Smitham, originally from Nottingham, was discovered with fatal injuries by guards close to an outbuilding on the perimeter of the prison where he was being held. The Birmingham Mail says police are “not sure if he fell, committed suicide or was pushed”.

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Police Lt Col Pramote Chuenta told Thai news site 77Jowo last year: “He was still alive at the time we arrived, so we rushed him to the hospital. However, all attempts to keep the man alive were in vain. Doctors pronounced him dead when the ambulance arrived at the hospital.”

Smitham had been awaiting trial for the alleged murder of his Thai wife, 29-year-old Kandra Smitham, with whom he had two children.

In April 2018, the couple visited Kandra’s parents in Ubon Ratchathani, a city in the northeast Isan region, for the Songkran New Year festival. According to reports, it was during this trip that Kevin allegedly strangled and kicked her to death, before covering her body with a blanket and going to bed. Her body was discovered the next day by neighbours.

The local Ubon Ratchathani force said Kevin “confessed to killing his wife” after he was detained, claiming he “did not mean to kill her”.

“During the drinking and eating, suddenly they started arguing because he wanted to have sex. His wife refused and this caused jealousy. He thought that the wife had been courting other men. He said he attacked her with his foot, kicked her to face and body several times,” an official said.

If he had been found guilty, Smitham would have faced execution.

In Thailand, Smitham’s death “has been greeted triumphantly by tabloids”, the Birmingham Mail reports. “One blared: ‘Farang dead!’ – Farang is a derogatory term for white foreigners”.

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Our staff are providing support and advice to the family of a British man who died in Thailand in August 2018, and they remain in touch with the local authorities.”