British father is arrested over fight with taxi drivers in Thailand 'sparked by argument with transgender women' during holiday to celebrate daughter's 17th birthday

Published: 12:20, 23 June 2026 | Updated: 12:29, 23 June 2026 A British father was arrested after getting in a fight with dozens of men following an argument that was allegedly sparked by transgender women. Benny Connolly, from Chatham in Kent, had been celebrating his daughter's 17th birthday in Pattaya, Thailand when he began arguing with bar staff in the early hours of Friday. Shocking video footage shows an enraged Mr Connolly repeatedly punching several men in the street and even batting away blows from a Thai motorcycle rider who was swinging a metal bar at his head. Mr Connolly's daughter, Summer, 17, said he was defending her from an alleged attack in the bar and the street outside. She said: 'We were celebrating my birthday with my parents, my auntie and a few friends. But an argument started with transgender women in the bar and one of them pulled my mother's hair. 'I tried to help my mother, but the same woman struck her on the head with a bottle and pushed her to the ground. Then she ran away. 'We all left the bar, but dad was angry. He was still arguing. Then a group of tourists and taxi drivers came over, and he just saw red. The fight blew up. 'My dad punched one of the holidaymakers who put his hand on me. He was defending us.' Benny Paul Connolly was arrested in Thailand after getting in a fight with dozens of men following an argument that was allegedly sparked by transgender women Shocking video footage shows an enraged and drunk Mr Connolly repeatedly punching several men in the street Several local taxi drivers tried to intervene and calm the situation It took 12 police officers more than 10 minutes to subdue the father. He was then taken to the local station The father had been celebrating his daughter's (right) 17th birthday in Pattaya, Thailand when they began arguing with bar staff in the early hours of Friday It took 12 police officers more than 10 minutes to subdue the father. He was then taken to the local station. A shocked onlooker who recorded the incident said the argument quickly spiraled into physical violence. He said that several local taxi drivers tried to intervene and calm the situation only to be beaten too. He added: 'I don't know who initiated the punches, but it escalated quickly.' Several more taxi drivers and motorcycle riders joined the fracas before the police arrived to calm the situation. Lieutenant Bawornsak Boonman said: 'Officers found a crowd of Thai and foreign bystanders surrounding a large-built foreigner who appeared intoxicated and was shouting loudly. 'He was surrounded by motorcycle taxi riders, Bolt riders, tuk-tuk drivers, and tourists, who were preventing him from leaving. 'We called in more than 10 additional officers to help control the situation, spending over 10 minutes subduing the suspect before taking him to the police station. 'We charged the British man with public intoxication and detained him in a holding cell to calm down. 'We planned to question all relevant parties in detail once they sobered up, as several individuals were still intoxicated, before considering further legal action based on the evidence.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.