Tragic Final Hours of British Tourist in Bangkok Revealed
The final hours of a young British tourist in Thailand have been pieced together through CCTV footage and witness accounts, revealing a harrowing sequence of events before he was found dead in his hotel room. Joshua Kershaw, a 21-year-old from Wakefield, had been enjoying what should have been an adventurous holiday in Bangkok when tragedy struck.
A Night Out Turns Sour
Joshua checked into Maxim's Inn hotel on Sukhumvit 7/1 in Bangkok on January 12 at 9pm, full of anticipation for his evening ahead. He soon headed out to experience the city's vibrant nightlife, ending up in a local bar where he was seen drinking and eating with a woman.
An employee from the establishment later recounted the concerning scene: ‘He ordered pizza, fried chicken, and beer for two people, and he ate very quickly, as if he were extremely hungry. After a while, we thought he may have choked because he was eating too much and too fast. He then fell off his chair and collapsed, losing consciousness.’
Hospital Discharge and Continued Drinking
Following this collapse, an ambulance was called at 2.30 am, and Joshua was taken to hospital for treatment. However, in a decision that would prove fateful, he discharged himself against medical advice and returned to the streets to continue drinking until 5.45 am.
CCTV footage from his hotel shows him returning alone by taxi in the early hours. A receptionist noted: ‘I noticed gauze wrapped around his arm and hand, but it was not large — it looked like a blood draw or IV injection mark from the hospital. He seemed slightly drunk. I asked if he was okay, and he said yes.’
The staff observed him paying his taxi fare, smoking a cigarette, and purchasing bottled water before drinking another bottle and a half of beer. He then returned to his room, with night shift staff making a note to let him sleep in until the afternoon, aware he had been in an ambulance earlier.
Discovery and Family Anguish
Tragically, Joshua was found dead by a hotel maid later that afternoon. Officers attempted CPR, but their efforts were in vain, and his body was subsequently taken away.
What followed was a period of agonising uncertainty for his family back in the UK. They launched a desperate search when contact was lost, setting up a GoFundMe page and making plans to travel to Thailand to look for him themselves. They only discovered his fate almost ten days after their last communication with him, learning of his death on Monday, January 21.
His aunt, Jade Kershaw, 31, expressed the family's confusion and grief: ‘He was a cheeky chap and so full of joy. He just loved to travel. He would go on holiday, come back and work for a couple of months, and then head back out.’
Unanswered Questions and Ongoing Process
The family have raised serious questions about the response from authorities. They do not understand why it took the police from Lumpini district station and the British Embassy in Bangkok so long to contact them with the devastating news.
Currently, the cause of Joshua's death remains unknown, pending the completion of an investigation and a post-mortem examination. This uncertainty has compounded the family's distress, as they cannot begin the process of repatriating his body until these formalities are concluded.
Joshua's mother, Jenny, confirmed the family are in contact with international funeral directors to help bring her son home, but it remains unclear when this might happen. The funds raised through the GoFundMe campaign will now be directed towards covering the costs of repatriation and his funeral.
This tragic incident serves as a sobering reminder of the dangers that can accompany travel, leaving a family in Wakefield heartbroken and seeking answers from the other side of the world.
