British Cannabis Businessman, 33, Stabbed To Death In His Thailand Home, 20-Year-Old Wife Claims Self-Defence

Another mental story out of Pattaya, Thailand, this week – this time involving a British businessman being stabbed to death by his 20-year-old wife at their luxury villa.

Thomas David Powell, 33, from Stoke-on-Trent, was discovered dead in the bathroom shower after a friend, unable to reach him by phone, went to his villa to investigate.

Isabelle Violet Carreras, 20, from Stafford, was chilling at the villa when police turned up and followed the trail of blood to the bathroom where Powell had scrambled to escape from his attacker.

Carreras initially claimed to police that Powell had stabbed himself to death, claiming he was ‘really into grass recently’ and that he ‘had been taking six strips of Valium daily’.

She told them: ‘It was after he did it, he realised how much he was bleeding and he was walking around and I tried calling an ambulance but I couldn’t call an ambulance in time, I don’t want him to go.’

That story didn’t quite add up because police found a 20-inch machete in the sink that had been scrubbed clean, plus blood-soaked towels and rags from attempts to clean up the scene.

There were also signs of a struggle at the property and Carreras had cuts all over her fingers. Oh, and Powell had stab wounds to his back, which would have been impossible to inflict on himself.

At that point, Carreras suggested a “knife game” had gone wrong, before ultimately admitting that she stabbed him, but claiming it was self-defence.

Powell ran a large cannabis farm in Soi Bang Lamung 14, and it sounds like he was doing quite well off the back of it. Villa in Pattaya with a 20-year-old wife? Living the dream, some might say. Does it make it less creepy that she’s not Thai?

Neighbours said the couple moved into the house just two weeks earlier, and were often heard arguing.

At around 2am the previous night, a courier arrived to deliver dog food, but no one answered the door, which is weird.

Police Colonel Nattapon Phongsuksakul said: ‘It is a murder case inside a house, with the body ultimately being found in the bathroom.

‘We are currently investigating what exactly the deceased did for a living and where he operated the cannabis business.

‘They had only been staying at the villa for seven days, but whether they were in Thailand before that is something we are still investigating.

‘The wife denied committing the murder. However, based on the wounds, it is difficult for us to accept that claim because there was clearly a stab wound to the back.

‘There were multiple injuries across the body, including both slash and stab wounds. The fatal wound was a stab to the left side of the back, showing a direct plunging motion.

‘We firmly believe this was not a suicide as she claimed. What makes us doubt her account further is that she washed the knife.

‘The weapon used was a machete, and washing it suggests an attempt to conceal evidence. There is also CCTV footage from inside the house.

‘Other evidence remains under investigation.

‘The incident occurred shortly after 4 am, but no one was notified until around 9.30 am, when a friend in England was contacted.

‘It appears the wife did not know who to call, so she made a WhatsApp call to a friend in England, saying that a murder had occurred and that her boyfriend was dead inside the house.

‘The friend then contacted Charlie, who lives in Thailand, and asked him to check the house. Instead of calling a doctor or the police from around 4.30 am, when his life might still have been saved, she chose not to do so.

‘The actual scene of the attack was not the bathroom. The stabbing took place in another room, but the deceased did not die immediately.

‘He ran away and, apparently unable to withstand the severity of his injuries, collapsed and died in the bathroom. We are currently gathering evidence.

‘As for the DNA examination, we must wait for the forensic analysis.

‘We cannot yet confirm whether she was intoxicated by cannabis at the time of the incident, but it is confirmed that cannabis had been smoked.

‘There is evidence at the scene and a strong smell of cannabis throughout the house. We are treating this as a murder case, not self-defence.

‘We have made an arrest and will proceed with legal action.’

It’s all happening in Pattaya, isn’t it? Ladyboys stabbing tourists, middle-aged Aussies murdering teenagers, and now cannabis businessmen being murdered at home by their 20-year-old wives. What a place.