From Andrew Drummond, Bangkok,
Thai wife, her lover, and hired gun jailed for life for murdering Canadian husband
Link: CBC - Slain Canadian’s wife gets life
Other Links
The Times: British farmer fed to tigers after divorcing Thai wife
The Observer The bar girl and the expat - a killing foretold
A Thai court today jailed for life a Thai wife, her lover, and a professional hit man for the avaricious murder of her Canadian husband.
Dale Henry, 48, was murdered on the orders of his 27-yr-old wife Maneerat nicknamed ‘Nee’, the court found. She had conspired with her boyfriend Amornsak Ketkaew, and hired a professional killer Jinda Sae Tee, who faces another assassination charge in Thailand.
Jinda Sae Tee said he accepted the contract for a mere 60,000 Thai baht or $1,935 Canadian.
Dale Henry with ' sweet and beloved Nee'
Although Henry is by no means the first foreigner to have been murdered on the orders of his Thai wife this case shocked the local foreign community in Thailand. Henry had no idea that his wife was anything but in love with him. And right up until his death he told relatives how lucky he was to have his live with his ‘darling sweet Nee’. He was totally besotted.
All the while Nee was plotting her husband’s death for the US$1 million insurance money. She already had the family home, which as a foreigner he had to buy under her name.
On February 3rd last year Nee put her plan into operation. Once Henry had fallen asleep she contacted her lover by mobile phone and summonsed him and the hit man to her house in Ranong, near the Burma border, to put an end to their six year marriage.
Dale Henry was gunned down as he slept.
Although Henry had bought her a home and car and generously provided for her out of his US$10,000 a month salary as an oil company safety officer, his wife was also aware of his £1 million life insurance policy made out in her favour.
Henry, who was born in Victoria moved to Thailand ten years ago. He had also worked as a fire-fighter in Cochrane, Alberta. He met Nee while holidaying from a job as a safety officer with an Noble Drilling in Nigeria. Nee was a bar girl on the holiday island of Koh Samui.
Immediately after his death his wife’s family started looting his house making off with his motorcycle and cars.
Dale Henry’s sister Mary Jane Matheson from Calgary said: “Dale was a very happy, generous fellow. He loved his life and it made him so happy to be able to provide well for Nee and her family. None of them needed anything. His monthly salary was more than enough ($10,000.00 US). Right up to two days before he died, he had e-mails to his “Darling Nee” and others to friends of his saying how he was so lucky to have such a great wife!
“There was another telling Nee that he didn’t care how much a better roof was for the home he bought for her mother would cost..he said ‘Mom deserves the best’. Also in his mail was a letter arranging boat plans, he was going to finally build one. One of his big dreams since he was young…Such a shame…he would have accomplished so much more and made a positive difference in many lives.”
Mary-Jane said that the insurance money would be staying in North America. “It is incomprehensible for me to understand this depth of evil, right from the gates of hell”.
The trial had been monitored by Dale Henry’s brother Richard, also from Calgary and officials from the Canadian Embassy in Thailand.
The brother Richard was concerned that justice would not be meted out. Dale Henry’s mother-in-law was apparently not very grateful for her new roof. Outside the court she told Richard Dale still owed her money.
The defendants also got bail after his wife withdrew a total of 800,000 Thai baht ($25,775 Canadian) cash from his bank account in smaller amounts on six different occasions while she was still in jail.
Both Henry’s Thai wife and lover can appeal the verdict and be granted bail. If they lose their appeal they can appeal again to the Thai Supreme Court. The process can actually take eight years to get somebody into jail in Thailand if they have the cash for the legal charges involved.
Meanwhile the trial of a Thai policeman accused of murdering Leo Del Pinto, from Calgary, in Pai in January 2008, has yet to be resumed. It was abandoned earlier this year after Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations conducted an improper investgation.
Although Richard Henry has power of attorney over his late brother’s estate most of it has alreay been taken by Henry’s wife and family.
Picture: Pick-up
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What a glorious day!!
A “mere” 60,000 baht, Mr Drummond? Hardly. Ms Nee overpaid by at least 10,000 baht per the ordinary rates for work by a single operator requiring only a handgun, no special infiltration, minimal risk of detection and no requirement for disposal of the remains.
Not being callous, I hope. (It looks possible that one of the quoted relatives is monitoring this site.)
10,000 extra for a farang most probably Monger. In which case, he probably undercharged if you go by the frequent fact that farangs pay double or triple for a lot of stuff.
However, it is at times like these when we need to do a few reality checks. If you have a car crash in some remote parts of this country you are still highly likely to be robbed of everything as you lie injured and dying. And it’s not a given that you will be ‘helped’. (In some cases, you may even be assisted to die.) Such hard facts are often a lifelong reality for people like Nee. NO excuse, of course.
What was her background? Was she ’sold’ by her family into the comfort industry, for example? Or was it something else in her background?
I am totally in shock.
Dale, you and your warm heart shall be missed by many.
My strength goes out to your family and friends.
Thank you for seeing justice through to the end, Richard.
Jamie -> Hilary Crescent party central, Calgary.
What a plan! Pump him full of lead while sleeping in his bed. What insurance company wouldn’t pay out a million$ for that accidential death? The brilliance of these people.
She has the house in her name, maybe other assets like cars also, has already taken out significant sums of money from his account
am not clear about the bail and appeal situation but my understanding was that the judges ruled that there can be no appeal in this case - but perhaps thatb information is not correct. i was surprised when i first heard it.
Under Thai law bail can be granted right up until the time the Supreme Court rules (possibly another eight years).
The judge may have made a comment that the assassin would be unlikely to get it if he applied.
As for the wife and boyfriend. Well, if they have the cash..well I do not want to be too cynical about this. Wait and see.
It is truly mindboggling what goes through the minds of poo-yais, regardless of differing cultural values. Problem is after having seen these things happen umpteen times, one gets to the point where one really couldn’t care less what they think, since they are obviously on a completely different wavelength from us mere mortals.
Mary Jane & Richard Dale would be proud of you both. Delighted the Canadian Embassy stood by you guys.
Dale’s name will live on folks!
A Kiwi, Stephen Miller, was shot down and murdered a few years ago in Pattaya whilst riding his scooter. http://www.ergogenics.org/370.html It was later discovered that his Thai wife had him shot so she could take his money. Falling in love with slags is a fatal mistake. Like every where in this world you don’t find women that have a high regard for life in bars. If you must be with one a good lesson to learn is that you don’t ever let them know what you earn or what your personal wealth is. And never ever tell them you have life insurance…….not unless you are in need of euthanasia.