Dramatic moment Brit grabs motorcycle thief

A British tourist has been left covered in blood after fighting a knife-wielding BOXER who is said to have stolen his bag on a beach.

Fraser William Cowen, 23, was paddling in the sea with friends when he saw the thug run away with his belongings in Krabi, southern Thailand, on Sunday.

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He sprinted after Suwit Puengsom – a former professional Muay Thai boxer – as he tried to escape on a motorbike.

And brave Fraser can be seen on CCTV video footage leaping at the thief and wrestling him to the ground.

They went toe-to-toe as they wrestled before the martial arts expert bit Fraser’s thumb, pulled out a knife and walked off with the bag.

Fraser, from Plymouth, Devon, was covered in cuts after the scrap – but he was still smiling as he recovered at the police station.

He said: “I’d been drinking quite a bit so I wasn’t really thinking. If I had, I might not have chased after him.

“I saw him take my stuff and I was like, ‘Wait, I’m not going to let him get away with that.’

“It was an act of stupidity rather than bravery. I just ran after him.

“If I had known the thief was a boxer with a knife, I probably wouldn’t have done it.

“I just ran over and kind of jumped on the bike. I actually hit the bike with my head, which knocked him to the ground.

“We fought toe-to-toe for about two minutes. We wrestled and I was just trying to overpower him.

“I held my bag to stop him walking, then he bit my thumb. I said ‘Oi brother let go of my thumb’.

“Then he pulled out a knife and waved it around. He cut the strap on the bag and then ran away.

“It was just pure animal instinct that took over. I hardly thought.”

Fraser said the bag contained cash, credit cards, a phone and hotel keys, but he said local police responded quickly.

They arrested Suwit, 31, on Tuesday and he admitted stealing the Brit’s bag on Ao Nang beach in the early hours of the morning.

Fraser added: “I wasn’t scared. I just wanted to stop him from taking my stuff.

“I’m really thankful for how quickly the police caught the thief. I can’t thank them enough.”

Police Colonel Somsak Thongkliang said: “Suwit still had an injury to his right knee while trying to escape from the tourist.

“The suspect was a famous Thai boxer, nicknamed Den-Saenchai. We have already arrested him and taken him to Ao Nang Police Station for further trial.”

The suspect has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in court today.

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