A foreign man who threw acid at a dormitory caretaker's face has been found. He claims he did it in self-defense and insists he did not know what he was throwing.
Regarding the case of a foreign man who threw acid at Ms. Virawan, 43, a dormitory caretaker, causing serious injuries on the evening of 23 Jun 2026, the man reportedly became angry after failing to find a Thai woman he was searching for, as previously reported.Read the news: Foreign man searches for woman, then commits horrific act, throwing acid at dormitory caretaker causing serious injury.)
Update: At 11:00 a.m. on 24 Jun 2026, reporters returned to the scene of the incident. They found evidence of the acid attack, including small burn marks on cushions and doormats near the dormitory where the caretaker was injured.
Ms. Rose (a pseudonym), 33, a resident of the dormitory, said that the previous evening she saw a foreign man wearing a cap and long-sleeved jacket knocking on doors from the upper floors down to the lower floors. He disturbed the residents twice, and on the second time, when she opened the door to check, she saw him knocking on doors one by one, followed by the injured caretaker.
At that time, the injured caretaker told her that the foreign man was not a tenant. She spoke to the man in English, telling him to go downstairs. Shortly after, she heard the caretaker screaming loudly. She rushed down and saw the caretaker’s face being splashed with a chemical causing burning pain. She immediately called rescue services for help.
While reporters were gathering information, a good citizen on a motorcycle with a sidecar approached and informed them that the suspect was arguing with a Thai woman in Soi Chalermprakiat 19, near Soi Buakhao in central Pattaya, about 500 meters from the original scene. The news team quickly went to the location.
Upon arrival, they found the foreign man matching the suspect’s description arguing with a Thai woman inside a curry rice shop. The man was demanding money and his passport back from the woman, leading to a heated argument. The news team contacted Pattaya City Police Station for assistance, and the man was successfully detained. The suspect was identified as Richard, 40, from England, and the woman as Ms. Supranee, 38, from Sisaket.
Richard, appearing mentally unstable, shouted at the Thai woman, demanding his money and passport so he could return to his country. He claimed he was searching for Ms. Supranee and her transgender friend who had taken his passport. When they refused to return it, he went to the dormitory where they had previously helped him rent a room.
At the dormitory, he knocked on every door hoping to find them, but the caretaker chased him away, wielding a machete. Richard grabbed a glass nearby without knowing its contents and threw it at the caretaker’s face. He insisted it was self-defense and that he thought the liquid was just toilet cleaner. He said his mental state was affected because he felt "completely deceived by the Thai woman."
Ms. Supranee told police she had been in a relationship with Richard for about five months. During that time, he often became violent, destroying property and breaking several phones. Recently, he lost his passport, fled the room without paying rent, so she secretly took his passport and left it with a friend. The day before, she and her transgender friend argued with Richard because he was drunk, causing trouble, and accused her of stealing money, even though his mother had not sent him funds yet. She fled, which triggered Richard’s rage leading to the attack on the caretaker.
Police initially took Richard into custody and found he had overstayed his visa since Feb 2026. They plan to press charges for illegal overstay. The injured caretaker is currently hospitalized in Chonburi. Police are coordinating with her relatives to file a complaint against Richard.
Meanwhile, CCTV footage from a building next to the dormitory shows Richard walking past the camera at 7:40 p.m., appearing intoxicated and playfully talking with a boy. By 8:25 p.m., the sound of someone screaming in pain is heard.