Phuket police slam media reports, forum gossip on Swede’s death

PHUKET: Sub Lt Pattapee Srichay of Patong police station reconfirmed to the Phuket Gazette this morning that neither he nor his colleagues believe there had been any kind of party in the Patong Tower room of Jan Larsson at the time of, or during the hours leading up to, his death.

His body was found in the room on Thursday afternoon. (See report.)

“The media have been very wrong in their reporting of this. There were no fights in the room, nor do we believe there were even any people [other than the deceased] in the room, at the time of Mr Larsson’s death.

“We are checking CCTV footage taken from the counter in the lobby to be absolutely certain that no one went to the room with him.”

Staff at the condo building agree with Lt Pattapee, saying that Mr Larsson was a loner who drank quite heavily and often.

“Every day, he went out to buy alcohol and take it back to his room – alone,” a reception employee told the Gazette this morning.

The employee said, “I have read the story in other media and it makes me angry as it is incorrect. He didn’t take anyone with him to his room before his body was found, and I am the one who found it there.”

Police have not yet reached any conclusions as to the cause of the Swede’s death but emphasize that they have never suggested it was a suicide. “The suicide theory does not come from the police; maybe it’s just forum gossip, but we reject it and take no responsibility for it,” he said.

“I’m not sure exactly what happened, but it’s either murder or accidental death. He [Mr Larsson] did not necessarily fall on the bottle of whiskey. He might have simply dropped it or knocked it over, then fallen on the shards.

He was staying alone and it seems he was very drunk, so maybe he was unable to call for help,” Lt Pattapee said, adding that the deceased “often fell down and cut his head.”

As for the possibility of murder, the officer noted that there was “definitely no evidence of fighting or a struggle in the room,” and that “the bruises and notches at the wound entry points in his back were unlikely to have been caused by a knife.”

Although shards of glass had been found in the wounds, it was “too early to conclude that someone had thrust them in there,” the officer said.

Mr Larsson’s body is at Patong Hospital awaiting collection by his relatives.

— Atchaa Khamlo