Barrow child porn suspect vows Thai return

Jan 13 2008 By Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

A NORTH man arrested in Thailand on child porn and abuse charges has had the case against him dropped and is now back home.

And we can reveal that Alan Charles Mawson has vowed to return to a country in south-east Asia . . . but could face a battle with the authorities there.

Mr Mawson, 74, of Barrow, Cumbria, was arrested in October last year after a 14-year-old Thai boy told police the pensioner had abused him in the tourist city of Pattaya.

A sick collection of 10,000 indecent images of children was found at his home, with local police claiming Mr Mawson had taken them himself. But, following a police investigation, no charges were brought.

Philip Oliver, a friend of Mr Mawson who now lives in Brighton, said he is recovering from his ordeal and has not been put off going back to Thailand, which he’s visited over the last 20 years.

He said: “It’s been a very, very bad ordeal but he’s definitely going back . . . he loves it there so this hasn’t put him off. I expect he’ll go out some time this year.”

However, a spokesman for the Royal Thai Embassy said, while he couldn’t comment on any individual cases, Mr Mawson’s name could be on Thai Immigration’s “Black List”, which could scupper any plans he has for a return.

The spokesman said: “We never know who is on the list — only immigration has the list — but if he is on it he simply can’t go to Thailand.” Mr Mawson always denied all the charges but has declined to comment on the case. Mr Oliver, 54, said: “We think he’s been set up. I’ve known Alan for years and he wouldn’t go near pictures like those.

“You can buy pictures like those in any newsagents and I think they were put there by someone else. He thinks he was set up by police or by a disgruntled tourist. Someone was trying to get him in trouble.

“I’m not sure when, but he’ll be back over there this year because it’s lovely there . . . you do get some perverts over there but it’s mostly Germans and French. I’ve seen it myself.”