Doctor to appeal beach 'kick' ruling

Dr Thandao Chandam says she is sticking to her story that Urs Fehr assaulted her on the night of Feb 24, though a court has said that she provided no clear evidence to support her case. (Screenshot)
Dr Thandao Chandam says she is sticking to her story that Urs Fehr assaulted her on the night of Feb 24, though a court has said that she provided no clear evidence to support her case. (Screenshot)

A doctor who claimed to have been kicked by a Swiss man while she was sitting on the steps near his property on Phuket's Yamu Beach in February has said she will appeal his acquittal on assault charges.

Dr Thandao Chandam, 26, said on Thursday that she was disappointed by the court’s ruling.

Thanking the public for the support she received during the case, she said she would continue to fight for justice.

Urs “David” Fehr, 45, was accused of kicking Dr Thandao in the back while she and a friend were sitting on the beachfront steps near his rented villa on Feb 24.

The man had allegedly accused the doctor of trespassing on his rented property.

The steps leading down to the beach were not part of the property and had been built illegally. They were later demolished.

The alleged kick was captured on a phone video, leading to a public outcry and calls for Mr Fehr’s deportation.

Mr Fehr was subsequently charged with assault.

However, the court on Tuesday acquitted Mr Fehr, as the doctor produced no clear evidence proving assault

Mr Fehr has always said that he slipped on the steps and his leg came up in the air, which gave the appearance on the video that he was delivering a kick.

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Vocabulary

  • accused: to be said to have done something wrong or committed a crime - ถูกกล่าวหา
  • acquittal: an official judgment in a court of law that someone is not guilty of the crime they were accused of - การตัดสินให้พ้นโทษ
  • alleged: claimed to be true although not yet proven; claimed to have done something wrong but not yet proven - ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
  • appeal: to make a request that a court change a decision of a lower court - ยื่นอุทธรณ์
  • assault (noun): a sudden, violent attack - การทำร้าย
  • demolish: to completely destroy a building, especially in order to use the land for something else - รื้อ (สิ่งก่อสร้าง), ทำลาย
  • deportation: the process of forcing someone to leave a country, especially someone who has no legal right to be there or who has broken the law - การเนรเทศออกจากประเทศ
  • disappointed: unhappy because someone or something was not as good as you hoped or expected, or because something did not happen - ผิดหวัง
  • justice: a fair result or punishment from a court of law - ความยุติธรรม
  • outcry: a strong expression of anger and disapproval about something, made by a group of people or by the public - การคัดค้านอย่างรุนแรงจากผู้คน
  • ruling  (noun): a judgement; a decision by a court of law - คำตัดสิน คำชี้ขาด
  • trespass: to go onto someone's land or enter their building without permission - บุกรุก,รุกล้ำ

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