Fugitive Brit husband is arrested and faces doable loss of life penalty in Thailand ‘after taking pictures his spouse lifeless as a result of she ignored him whereas he was sick’

A British fugitive has been arrested and could be sentenced to death if found guilty after allegedly shooting dead his Thai wife because she ignored him while he was sick.

Anthony James Condron, 56, from Witham, Essex, allegedly is accused of shooting wife Pattanee Urapanom, 43, with a 9mm handgun at their hotel resort before fleeing the scene.

Police found Ms Urapanom’s body at the Janpanom Farm Stay in Maha Sarakham, Thailand, on Tuesday morning. 

Mr Condron was found smoking on a hotel balcony around 80 miles away in the neighbouring province of Khon Kaen and he allegedly planned to flee to the coastal town of Pattaya. 

Armed cops surrounded the building and negotiated his surrender. He told police he had killed his wife because she ‘ignored him while he was feeling unwell.’

Footage from his arrest shows him laughing as he was escorted out of the building into a police van. 

‘Do they have to take so many cameras, oh thank you for coming, tell them I will only speak for a little bit of time,’ he could be heard saying in a video taken of his arrest. 

‘I’m not going to run, I’m going to get in the car.’

Police Major General Anuwat Suwannaphum, commander of Khon Kaen police, said: ‘When officers encountered the suspect, he surrendered voluntarily. At this stage, he is still confused about the incident. What he has stated so far is that he had an argument with his wife. He also said he was ill, which made him angry, and the situation escalated into a confrontation that led to the shooting.

‘His statements remain unclear, but the main point we can gather is that he felt his wife was not taking proper care of him, even though he was sick and needed medical treatment. He felt she was ignoring him being unwell. This reportedly caused him to become upset, leading to the argument.

‘At this time, he has not clearly explained why he fled the scene and travelled to Khon Kaen, or how he managed to leave the area. He initially used a white pickup truck, which was later changed to a blue one. It is still unclear whether someone helped him escape or whether a friend picked him up.’

Police in the Don Wan district said that Mr Condron and Ms Urapanom had been arguing before the alleged shooting.

They believe that Mr Condron shot his wife while she was mounting the vehicle to ride away from the home they shared together.

Her body was reportedly slumped backwards on the motorcycle seat and lying face up. She had a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Police checkpoints were placed around the area in a desperate bid to catch Mr Condron. 

Major General Paladech Petwango said: ‘The suspect had told foreign friends in Pattaya that he planned to turn himself in there.

‘He said he felt guilty and feared being assaulted by his wife’s relatives, but he was eventually arrested in Khon Kaen.

‘The case has drawn strong public attention, and the suspect also carried a firearm, which posed a danger to the public, so we had to urgently find him.’

‘Based on the suspect’s route, we found that he travelled to Khon Kaen province and abandoned his white Isuzu vehicle.

‘We coordinated with the Immigration Bureau, the regional Investigation Division, Maha Sarakham Provincial Police, and several relevant agencies to assist in the manhunt.

‘We later located him at the Ingtara Hotel in Khon Kaen.

‘Whether anyone assisted him in fleeing remains under investigation.

‘Officers from Khon Kaen Provincial Police and Khon Kaen Immigration negotiated with him for a while before he eventually surrendered at about 3.30pm.

‘He told officials that he had made a mistake and felt remorse for his actions, and therefore decided to surrender, which was considered a peaceful arrest.

‘He is being taken to Don Wan Police Station for further legal action.’

Locals said the suspect had lived in Thailand for more than 10 years.

Mr Petwango added: ‘The victim was a well-loved member of the community due to her friendly nature and volunteering work with schools and charities.

‘Her friends and family are in shock. They are overcome with grief and cannot understand how this happened.

Prior to Mr Condron’s arrest, police questioned neighbours who claimed they had heard the Brit shouting at his wife before the gunshots were fired.

The officer added: ‘The neighbours did not understand what the argument was about because the couple were speaking in English.

‘They said that the couple had argued frequently prior to the incident.

‘The man had lived with his wife for several years, but they did not have any children.

‘The wife ran a homestay named Janpanom Farm Stay, while the foreign man was retired and unemployed.

‘The case has drawn strong public attention, and the suspect also carried a firearm, which posed a danger to the public, so we had to urgently find him.

‘The inquiry officer has requested an arrest warrant from the court on a charge of intentional homicide.’