Fishy Aussie nabbed for stealing prawns

The Australian probably had one too many drinks while holidaying at the Thai resort island of Phuket.

So 27-year-old Jacob Saveisberg walked into a seafood restaurant, but did not order any food.

Instead, he allegedly stole two raw tiger prawns and walked away, local newspaper Phuketwan reported.

An restaurant employee decided not let him walk away with the pricey seafood.

She ran after him, yelling: "Give them back, give them back," as she pursued him early yesterday.

Police believe Mr Saveisberg slipped the prawns into the back pocket of his jeans while walking past the restaurant at 1am.

An officer at Kathu Police Station, which oversees the popular nightlife hub of Patong on Phuket's west coast, said Mr Saveisberg had been walking along the beach road where many restaurants place seafood on display so that diners can see the freshness of ingredients.

"It was about 1am and we believe the Australian tourist had drunk too much," Phuketwan quoted the police officer as saying.

"He picked up two prawns and kept walking.

"The staff member saw that he had taken two tiger prawns and quickly pursued him."

DETAINED

The Australian was detained by civilians, who handed him over the police with the evidence recovered from his pocket, the report said.

In the country still under martial law following a military coup last year, the ramifications for Mr Saveisberg's alleged act could have been severe, including jail time.

But he was lucky - he was let off with just a 500 baht (S$21) fine for being drunk and disorderly.

It is not known what happened to the prawns.

Tiger prawns cost about 1200 baht a kg in Phuket at current prices.

In another incident involving Australians, this time in 2013, Australian Annice Smoel went through a two-week ordeal after allegedly taking a beer mat from Patong's Aussie bar.

She was deported after paying a fine.

This article was first published on Mar 29, 2015.
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