Phuket court sets June date for Aussie tourist Keating’s trial

Fears have been raised that Australian tourist Thomas Keating will be stuck in Thailand for a further four months until the Phuket Provincial Court hears the evidence against him at a court hearing scheduled for June.

Mr Keating has already entered a plea of guilty to the court to the charge of reckless driving causing death for the jet-ski accident that killed his girlfriend of two years, Emily Collie, on Feb 17.

However, according to the Phuket Provincial Court public register, Mr Keating must present himself in court at 10am on Friday, June 23 to hear the verdict for or against him, The Phuket News learned today (Feb 24).

A court official explained to The Phuket News today (Feb 24) that although Mr Keating has entered a plea of guilty – the court will still have to receive the evidence against him and then hand down its verdict.

“Presently, Thomas Keating has been released on bail by the court, but his passport is being held by the court and he can’t go out of the Kingdom of Thailand during this time,” the court official said.

“Sorry, we cannot give more information,” the official added.

The official declined to reveal the amount of bail posted to release Mr Keating.

However, the extra four months delay in the trial does not concur with the understanding explained by Maj Patiwat Yodkwan of the Karon Police as recently as Monday this week (Feb 20).