An Australian tourist called out for someone to give him his phone while he was being arrested for an alleged shoplifting spree in Thailand.
Liam Allan Lakeman, 25, was dramatically pinned to the ground by an off-duty officer at Central Phuket Festival, a large shopping centre on the holiday island, on November 1.
Thai police allege Lakeman was caught on CCTV stuffing a football jersey under his shirt on Saturday.
A worker inside the store called out to the Australian and accused him of wearing another shirt he’d allegedly previously stolen from the same shop.
Off-duty police officer Lance Corporal Niratsai Charoenkijwattana told Asia Pacific Press he was shopping when he saw a woman ‘chasing a man and fighting over store items’.
‘Then, he lifted his shirt, pulled out three shirts he had (allegedly) hidden in his pants, and threw them to the floor,’ Mr Charoenkijwattana said.
‘A store employee said he had shoplifted from there before, and the shirt he wore that day was a stolen one.
‘The stolen items included three football jerseys and a box of Bose wireless headphones, which he had taken from another shop,’ he alleged.
Liam Allan Lakeman was arrested (pictured) following an alleged shoplifting spree in Central Phuket Festival, Thailand
Lakeman (centre) is accused of stealing several football jerseys and a set of headphones from stores in a Phuket shopping centre
Lakeman (pictured during an interview with police) allegedly confessed to the theft and could be hit with up to three years in Thai jail
Dramatic footage of the arrest shows a man, allegedly Lakeman, being held down while saying, ‘Please, please, please,’ and asking for his phone.
‘Do you have my phone? Where’s my phone?’ Lakeman asked while being held on the floor.
‘My phone, my phone, my phone?’
Police claimed Lakeman later confessed to stealing the items to help pay off his credit card debt.
Interview footage released by authorities showed Lakeman allegedly confessed to ‘taking’ items from the store.
If convicted, he could be hit with up to three years behind bars in Thailand and a fine of up to 6,000 baht (AU$280).
Daily Mail has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.