Two brothers from New Zealand who were facing multiple charges after an assault on a police officer in Phuket are back home after spending nearly four months in detention in Thailand.
The New Zealand Herald confirmed that Hamish and Mattson Day had returned home.
Hamish, 36, and Mattson, 38, were on holiday in Phuket when they were arrested on March 16 and charged with assaulting a police officer, robbery, obstruction of police duty, driving without a licence and bribery.
They appeared in Phuket provincial court and were remanded in custody. No other details were available of the cases against them.
A video of the incident went viral on social media. It showed Mattson Day grappling with a police officer on the side of the road, while Hamish Day can be seen holding the officer’s gun.
The Phuket police chief said the brothers refused to stop after an officer saw them speeding on their rented motorcycles.
Pol Sen Sgt Maj Somsak Noo-iad chased the two tourists and called for backup. When the pair later stopped in front of a restaurant on Chaofa Road, the officer asked for their licences.
At this point, police said, the New Zealanders offered a bribe but the policeman rejected it and told them to pay their fine at the station.
As they walked towards their motorcycles, Pol Sen Sgt Maj Somsak used his mobile phone to take their pictures. This angered the brothers and one of them attacked the officer, wrestled him to the ground, took his gun and handed it to his brother, police said.
During the struggle, the gun was fired once but no one was hit.
