Norwegian kills Brit in fight over hotel noise in Phuket
A Norwegian martial arts expert has been charged with manslaughter after a British tourist died during a fight at a hotel.
Phuket Tourist Police Pol Maj Ekkachai Siri said Norwegian tourist Roger Bullman choked British tourist Amitpal Singh Bajaj to death after he complained about the noise coming from the Norwegian’s adjacent hotel room.
Pol Maj Ekkachai said Mr Bajaj, 34, was holding a steak knife when he asked Mr Bullman to keep down the noise at 4am on Thursday. The Norwegian had already been warned by hotel security twice that night about noise coming from his room.
Mr Bullman, a martial arts expert, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol in his room with his wife, while Mr Bajaj was on holiday with his wife and twenty-month-old son, the police said.
Mr Bajaj was alleged to have stabbed Mr Bullman near his left shoulder before the latter put Mr Bajaj in a neck lock resulting in his death, he said.
The British embassy in Thailand has helped Mr Bajaj’s wife and son to return back home.
Mr Bullman has been charged with manslaughter and trespassing by an act of violence and released on bail.
Meanwhile, Bandhna Kaur Bajaj, wife of the victim, released a statement denying reports that her husband was holding a knife.
She also said Mr Bullman broke into their room through a folding panel balcony door which separated both rooms, while hotel security officers were slow to help.
