Phuket tuk-tuk driver charged over British boxer's fatal fall
Police have questioned a tuk-tuk driver in Phuket following the fatal fall of a British professional boxer from his vehicle in the early hours of Sunday.
- A 34-year-old tuk-tuk driver in Phuket, Kitphong, has been charged in connection with the death of 22-year-old British boxer Colin Cairney.
- Cairney, who was intoxicated, fell from the moving vehicle after the driver had taken him to three different ATMs in an unsuccessful attempt to withdraw cash for the fare.
- The driver is charged with negligence causing death and failing to stop to provide aid or notify authorities after he realized his passenger was missing.
- During the police inquiry, the driver confessed to all charges.
In an update regarding the death of Colin Cairney, a 22-year-old British tourist and professional boxer, who fell from a tuk-tuk public transport vehicle on Phra Barami Road in Patong sub-district, Kathu district, Phuket province, in the early hours of Sunday (June 14, 2026), sustaining severe injuries and subsequently dying, police at Patong Police Station have recently tracked down the driver of the vehicle involved for questioning.
Pol Maj Surachat Thongyai, Inspector (Investigation) at Patong Police Station and the investigating officer in charge of the case, revealed that on Monday (June 15), officers brought in Kitphong (surname withheld), 34, a native of Phatthalung province, who was confirmed by evidence as the driver of the tuk-tuk involved, for questioning.
While driving past The Nature hotel, the location of the first drop-off, on Phra Barami Road at a normal speed, he later felt a certain abnormality with the vehicle.
However, he did not stop to inspect it until he had driven approximately 2 kilometres past the scene.
He then discovered that there were no longer any passengers in the vehicle.
However, he did not notify the police or anyone else of the incident. He only learned later that the British passenger had fallen from the vehicle and sustained severe injuries, resulting in death.
The tuk-tuk involved belongs to his older brother, from whom Kitphong rented it to provide passenger services.
From the investigation, Kitphong confessed that on the night of the incident, he picked up two foreign tourists, a male and a female, from the Soi Bangla entertainment area to take them to The Nature hotel in the Kalim Beach area.
However, upon arriving at the hotel, the tourists informed him they had no cash to pay the fare and asked him to take them to withdraw money from an ATM.
Kitphong stated that he took the male tourist, who was intoxicated, to withdraw cash from ATMs at three different locations in the nearby area, but he was unable to withdraw any money.
He therefore decided to take the passenger back to the original pickup point at Soi Bangla.
Following the investigation, officials pressed charges, including:
- Negligence causing the death of another person.
- Failing to stop the vehicle to render assistance and failing to notify officials after the incident immediately.
During the inquiry stage, the suspect confessed to all charges.
Meanwhile, negotiations regarding compensation are currently underway with the deceased's uncle, who lives in Phuket province.
