Dad jailed in Thailand over bid to bring son back to UK
A SCOTTISH father has been thrown into a Thai jail after trying to bring home the son he claims was taken abroad by his estranged wife.
Jodie Smith was arrested by police on Wednesday at Bangkok airport with nine-year-old Joleon.
He claims his Thai-born wife, Jintra Jummaimuang Smith, 31, took the boy to Thailand in November.
He was accompanied on part of the trip by Sean Felton, head of British charity Abducted Angels, who was detained on Friday.
It is understood both men face claims of trespassing at Jintra’s property in order to obtain Joleon’s Britand
‘This isn’t justice. It’s a living nightmare’
ish passport. Mr Felton denies the allegation.
Mr Smith, a carer from Edinburgh, also faces charges of abducting his son from Sakon Nakhon province in the north of the country.
He has been held in Sakon Nakhon Prison since Thursday and could face up to five years if convicted.
Joleon’s grandmother Lidia Smith, 67, of Edinburgh, has launched an appeal for help with £5,000-plus legal fees to fight Mr Smith’s case.
She said: ‘He just wanted to get his son back. Jodie finally tracked them down to a remote part of north Thailand via Facebook and he decided to fly there when [his wife] refused to take his calls.
‘This isn’t justice. I can’t believe this is happening. I just want my son grandson back. This is a living nightmare.’
Mr Smith, 41, flew from Glasgow to Bangkok on February 20 to search for Joleon. He met his now estranged wife in 2006 when he went travelling. He said: ‘We just hit it off. It was a shock when she discovered she was pregnant after four months but I was in love with her and we decided to make a go of things.’
The couple came to the UK when Jintra was seven months pregnant with his only child Joleon, who was born in Scotland, making him a British citizen with a UK passport.
They tried to marry in Thailand, but the wedding was stopped when Jintra admitted she was already married under Thai law to another British man. After she divorced him, Mr Smith and Jintra wed in Britain.
He said: ‘I loved Joleon from the second he was born. He was close to my mother, who looked after him when we were both working and he stays over at her house regularly.’
The couple have been separated for six years and shared custody.
Lidia Smith’s appeal to help her son’s legal fees is at justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/joe-smith-5.