Thai police have questioned a German woman who got into the back of the ambulance transporting the body of Australian cricket legend Shane Warne from the island of Koh Samui, but say she did not do anything against the law.
The woman, who identified herself as Barbara from Munich and who had lived in Koh Samui for two years, was carrying a bunch of flowers and was allowed to spend about 40 seconds alone in the van, raising serious questions about security surrounding the transportation of Warne's body.
It also raises questions about why neither Thai nor Australian officials appeared to be with the ambulance while it was parked on the ferry.
Barbara told the ABC she wanted to pay her respects to Warne.
"I am a big fan of him. It's very sad that we lost him. I just took the flowers to pay condolences," she said.
"I am sorry about yesterday but I [did] not mean [any] negative act by that. I am a big fan, he is a great player."
At a press conference, police said she ultimately had done nothing against the law.
Warne died on March 4 at a luxury resort villa on Koh Samui where he was staying with three friends.
Warne’s body was being transported by ferry to a Thai hospital for an official autopsy on March 6, and police later announced he had died of natural causes.
But as the ferry made its final preparations to leave Koh Samui for the mainland, the ABC captured footage of two women approaching the ambulance.
How the incident unfolded
In the footage, a blonde woman can be seen with a Thai woman who is talking to local immigration officials near the vehicle ramp down to the car ferry.
When the official points to the vessel, the Thai woman bows.
In English, she says: "Yeah, yeah she knows him."
In Thai, she then says: "Thank you very much, she's a friend."
The pair is then escorted by a man through rows of cars to the front of the vessel, where the ambulance was parked.
As they reach the back of the van, the blonde woman approaches the ambulance driver's window.
She shows the flowers to the driver, and they have a brief exchange before he gets out and takes her to the other side of the van.
He opens the sliding door, allows her to get in, then shuts the door behind her.
The convoy to escort Warne home
Australia's ambassador to Thailand Allan McKinnon and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) officials went to Koh Samui to discuss arrangements to bring Warne's body back to Australia.
Royal Thai Police had not been treating his death as suspicious but wanted an autopsy to be done at a large, mainland hospital to determine the exact cause of death before releasing the body for repatriation.
The footage shows that while the woman was inside the ambulance, the driver could be seen speaking to a man nearby, before opening the door.
The woman then left.
Once the woman walked away, the driver stepped into the van himself and closed the door.
Warne's friends Andrew Neophitu and Tom Hall, Mr McKinnon and other DFAT officials were on the ferry at the time after travelling in convoy with the ambulance in a mini-van.
They were seated in an upstairs passenger area for most of the 90-minute journey.
Thai police question woman
Royal Thai Police told the ABC they had already tracked the women down and asked them to come to Bo Phut Police station, where they spoke to officers.
In a press conference, Police Lieutenant General Surachate Hakparn said she did not have bad intentions.
"When we knew about that we took her for questioning and found she lives in [Koh] Samui and she knew that Warne came here often and she was a fan," he said at a press conference.
"When she heard about Warne, she was sad and at the last moment of life she wanted to lay flowers to honour the death."
After the ferry journey, the ambulance and a vehicle carrying Warne's friends, Mr McKinnon and DFAT officials drove for an hour to Surat Thani Hospital.
The group met with police and doctors to discuss the autopsy process.
The ABC approached Mr McKinnon outside the hospital to bring the footage to his attention.
Mr McKinnon was immediately concerned about the footage and raised the issue with Warne's friends.
The ABC played the footage for Australian officials and Warne's friends, none of whom appeared to know the woman.
Warne's family in Australia have been made aware of the incident by his management.
They have made no comment.
DFAT officials in Canberra prevent the ambassador from speaking to the media formally without prior approval.
The ABC has submitted questions to DFAT's media department but is yet to receive a response.
