How Thai police say it all went wrong for Aussie pensioner Geoffrey, 76, who flew to Pattaya to start a new life… then ended up homeless, broke and had a gaping wound in his stomach six months later

Thai police say Geoffrey Chapman, 76, became homeless in Pattaya after losing his bank card and identification, which left him unable to access his Australian pension or pay his rent. He was found with a serious abdominal wound and difficulty walking, and is now being helped to return to Australia.

Chapman arrived in Bangkok on 5 May on a two-month tourist visa and moved into a budget hotel room costing AU$519 a month. His pension was about 38,000 baht, or AU$1,645, every two weeks, but he could not withdraw it after losing access to his bank account. He told police he had fallen in the street around the time he lost his belongings; the article says there is no suggestion he was robbed. Police took him to the Australian Embassy, and a charity arranged hospital care, temporary shelter and a place at a care home while helping with his return.