Jailed once already for pick-pocketing, a South Pattaya flower vendor is again behind bars for allegedly lifting 780 baht from the pocket of a Finnish tourist.
Chang Chompoo, 32, was arrested by Pattaya tourist police Feb. 4 after officers said they witnessed him distracting and pick-pocketing 67-year-old Timo Virkkala on Walking Street around 5 a.m. Officers also apprehended Manthana Bunoheng, 24, and two children, who police alleged were accomplices in Chang’s pick-pocketing exploits.
Yes, that’s him. The man who picked my pocket.
Chang was jailed in 2011 on similar charges and was recently released from prison. Police said he confessed to stealing the Finnish man’s cash, saying after he was released he could not find a job. He then took his wife’s advice and began selling flowers. Supplementing his income via crime was his idea.
In addition to the cash, police also recovered nine mobile phones taken in earlier crimes.
