British man killed in ‘sickle’ attack in Thailand

Man has been arrested in connection with incident, police say

(Thai Police handout)

A British man has been killed and another injured in an attack believed to involve a sickle in Thailand.

Marcus Evans, a 49-year-old from Berrow in Somerset, was killed in the early hours of Saturday in the western Kanchanaburi region.

He was found dead at his home with knife wounds, according to police.

A 55-year-old man, also British, was injured and taken to hospital. He was reportedly a friend of the British man who was killed.

Thai police said they had arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the incident, which they believe involved a rice sickle.

The instrument – which has a curved metal blade and is used to harvest rice – was reportedly found at the scene.

Police said their initial investigations suggested the Thai suspect may have attacked the men for drinking and playing music loudly in the early hours.

Local media reported the attack happened just before 0400 local time [2100 GMT].

Officers said the suspect was being given psychiatric support, Sky News reported.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the government was in contact with Royal Thai Police “following the death of one British man and the hospitalisation of another in Thailand”.

The department said it was ready to provide consular support following the events.

Additional reporting by agencies