What began as a dream retirement in Thailand for a British expat spiralled into a nightmare of prison cells, financial ruin, and heartbreak.
Martin Savage, a 65 year old retired engineer, says a bitter boundary row with a neighbour over a driveway ultimately cost him everything: his £1.5 million (around 67.5 million baht) property portfolio, his retirement fund, and his freedom.
“I have lost everything, I’m completely broke.”
Savage had moved to Thailand nearly two decades ago with his Thai-British wife, 66 year old Sudarat, after a successful career that saw him work on the Channel Tunnel. The couple invested heavily, buying a family home in Ubon Ratchathani and a 40-room apartment block in Pattaya. For years, the rental income funded their ideal lifestyle.
But in 2010, a dispute with a neighbour turned ugly. Savage said Sudarat, listed as sole owner due to Thai laws barring foreign land ownership, borrowed £34,000 from a moneylender. Instead of repayment, the lender allegedly flipped the couple’s apartment block, worth £1.2 million, for just £45,000.
“He was a predator; this was his business. In Thailand, all you have to do is pay somebody in the office a bit of money, and it happens.”
The couple fought on in court. Then in 2017, they were arrested. Savage alleges police tricked them into signing bogus documents before jailing them for three months in Nong Plalai Prison.
“There was barely room to sleep on the concrete floor. I was 57 and suffering from asthma. It could have killed me.”
After their release, the couple discovered their Ubon home and three land plots had also been sold off under dubious circumstances. Court documents showed the same person had signed as both buyer and seller. Their legal battle to reclaim the assets failed.
Now, the once-prosperous couple survive on less than £100 a month from Savage’s pension and commission from Sudarat’s property brokering, The Daily Mail reported.
“We’re barely scraping by.”
Sudarat added, “I am so disappointed in our legal system. I used to have great faith, but I have been let down.”
The British Embassy confirmed it had supported Savage during his detention but declined to intervene further.
Savage warns fellow expats: “This should be a warning to others. Don’t think it can’t happen to you.”
The story British expat’s £1.5 million Thai dream ends in jail nightmare as seen on Thaiger News.
