Brit tourist, 35, dies in horror Thailand car crash as inquest opens

A 35 year old man from Britain has died following a road traffic collision in Thailand . Salim Abbas Shah, from Great Harwood, was in the western province of Prachuap in March when the crash occurred. Salim, who was originally from Blackburn , was subsequently repatriated to the UK, with his body identified by Imran Patel of the Blackburn Muslim Burial Service. An inquest into Salim's death was opened and adjourned at Preston Coroners' Court on Thursday, 2 April. The court was told that Salim was employed as a car valeter at the time of his death and resided on Blackburn Road. Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings. Area Coroner Kate Bisset said during the brief hearing: "This gentleman died following a road traffic collision in Thailand." The coroner confirmed that the collision took place on 18 March, with Salim's body identified five days later , reports Lancs Live . A full inquest is set to be scheduled in due course, with the case due to be mentioned again on 25 June. It comes after a dad is facing jail in a Thai hellhole prison after he accidentally picked up a woman's phone in a bar, his family said. Rory McColl, from Edinburgh, told how he confused the woman’s phone with his own and picked it up just hours after arriving for a holiday in Bangkok on March 9. After forking out £1,000 in bail money to be released from jail, cops seized Rory’s passport. He has now been stranded in the south-east Asian country for almost a month as he waits for a court date. Rory claims he was subjected to "horrendous conditions" in a Thai jail cell for two nights. Joanna said after his release, he went to the Embassy but was advised that they can't get involved in criminal cases. Rory, who works at Buck's Bar in Edinburgh, is now awaiting his fate in a cheap hotel in Pattaya. Grim Thai prisons include Klong Prem Central, which has a brutal reputation, while another possibility is high-security and the overcrowded Bang Kwang Central. Loved ones have set up a GoFundMe appeal to cover living costs and legal fees.