A court in Thailand has sentenced four men to two years in prison for a vicious assault on a British couple and their son, leaving them unconscious in the street. Lewis and Rosemary Owen, aged 68 and 65, were visiting the beachside resort town of Hua Hin with their 43-year-old son, Lewis, during Thai New Year celebrations when the attack occurred in the early hours of 13 April.
Hua Hin provincial court handed down four-year sentences on Sunday, reduced by two years after the accused confessed. Two of the men are aged 32 and two are aged 20. The assault was largely unreported until shocking CCTV footage was released to the public in late April, focusing international attention on Thailand.
The video showed a brutal assault as the family were set upon, with attackers repeatedly punching them and kicking them in the face even after they were knocked to the ground. Witnesses said the men, one of whom was holding a bottle and swaying in the video, were drunk and looking for a fight. A man who tried to stop the altercation was also punched.
The son and father both received stitches, and Rosemary spent several days in hospital after undergoing surgery for brain swelling. The parents had been regular visitors to Thailand for many years but the family vowed never to return after the assault, which took place during the Songkran festival.
