An 18-year-old could spend years in a Thai prison after allegedly taking a $100 watch from an airport security tray.
Loukas Rainger, from Tauranga, New Zealand, had spent a month travelling through Thailand with a friend and was preparing to fly home via Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on July 16 when Thai immigration officers stopped him before his flight.
According to his mother, Natasha Rainger, officials informed her son that “there was a warrant out for his arrest,” per NZ Herald.
A teenager faces years behind bars in Thailand after being accused of stealing a watch worth around $100 at an airport. Credit: @loukas.rainger / Instagram
Speaking to Stuff, the mom said her son had picked up the watch around two weeks earlier while passing through security at Surat Thani Airport.
Loukas later told her he was left “completely confused” by the arrest and insisted he had no idea he had committed an offence.
According to Natasha, her son explained that the watch had been sitting in the same airport security tray as his belongings.
“That watch…he told me it was on the airport tray with his belongings… so he just picked it up too,” she said.
Airport theft charge carries severe penalties
Court documents obtained by the outlet reportedly state that the watch was a “Swatch women’s wristwatch with a silver coloured steel band,” believed to be worth between $80 and $100 on eBay.
Legal documents allege a woman travelling through Surat Thani Airport on July 3 removed her watch during security screening before accidentally leaving it behind in the inspection tray.
The case summary states: “At approximately 8.58am it was discovered that a foreign male identified as Loukas Rainger had taken the watch with him.”
After the woman reported the missing watch, police gathered evidence before obtaining an arrest warrant on July 10.
Because the allegation involves an airport, Loukas has been charged with “theft at an airport,” which his lawyer says is treated far more seriously than an ordinary theft offence.
“It is more serious than theft because it happened at an airport,” said Werabhat Hemthansarp, managing partner of Phuket-based Lawyer Republic, who is representing the teenager.
Per legal documents, the charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, along with a fine ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 Thai baht.
The teen was preparing to fly home via Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok when Thai immigration officers stopped him before his flight. Credit: NurPhoto / Getty
Family says ordeal has been overwhelming
Natasha said police retrieved Loukas’ checked baggage before it reached the aircraft and held him overnight in a Bangkok police station. She said he was then transported back to Surat Thani by train.
“The next day he spent 12 hours handcuffed to a chair while being taken on a train from Bangkok back down to Surat Thani, where he was taken to a police station and only then interviewed,” she told Stuff.
Legal documents reportedly state that Loukas denied the charges during questioning.
His initial bail application was rejected because he did not have the appropriate visa.
To qualify for bail, the court required proof of accommodation in Thailand for three months while the case progresses.
Natasha, who is already in Bangkok after undergoing surgery, said her own visa is due to expire in mid-August.
“I haven’t rested or slept since this happened… I’m exhausted, I’m on auto-mode,” she said.
Her husband, Mark Rainger, has remained in New Zealand to care for Loukas’ younger brother.
Lawyer works to secure bail
Hemthansarp said he had begun the process of changing Loukas’ visa so he could remain legally in Thailand while awaiting the outcome of the case.
He also confirmed he was arranging compensation for the owner of the watch.
“I have been told the watch was around $80 -$100 on Ebay, and the watch has been returned to her, and she has also received an apology from Loukas in prison,” Hemthansarp said. “I have been told that she accepts the apology and will accept $1000 in compensation, which I said I would pay.”
Natasha also said her son had apologized to the woman from prison and that “she accepted the apology and will accept the $1000”.
She maintained that Loukas had never intended to steal the watch.
“He didn’t maliciously steal it or intend to steal someone’s belongings, he didn’t think, he’s inexperienced, young,” she said. “He’d been on a long boat trip just right before, and had been really sick. He should have left it or handed it in but that doesn’t deserve years in a Thai prison.”
The family said the situation has left them “completely overwhelmed and in disbelief”.
“I’m honestly [at the point where I] would give my life to get him out of there,” the mom added.
Loukas, who recently finished school and had planned to begin an electrical apprenticeship after his overseas trip, has since been released on bail after his family paid 100,000 Thai baht.
However, she said the legal battle is far from over. “The only thing that matters right now is seeing my son walk through the gates … we’ll take it from there.”
Until the case is resolved, Natasha and Loukas must remain on Ko Samui and report to the local police station every two weeks.
