Thai prison fear of Scots backpacker in phone 'mix-up'

By DAN BARKER FOR THE SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL Published: 21:09, 24 April 2026 | Updated: 21:09, 24 April 2026 A Scots backpacker faces being locked up in Thailand after he picked up a woman’s phone ‘by mistake’ on the first day of his holiday. Rory McColl arrived in Bangkok on March 9 for a nearly two week trip around the Asian country. But the trip turned into a nightmare after he was arrested on his first night out. The 37-year-old’s worried parents, Helen and John McColl, have been keeping in touch with him through video calls. Mrs McColl told BBC Scotland: ‘It all happened so quickly – before Rory knew it, the police were there. ‘Then he was cuffed and taken to the cells. He was there for two nights – he told us it was horrendous. Rory McColl arrived in Bangkok in March for a 12-day trip around the country McColl had gone on a night out and was in a bar when the incident occurred  ‘He was on a concrete floor and all he had for a pillow was a plastic water bottle.’ His parents said he was now released on bail of £1,000 but is unable to leave the country as his passport was confiscated. The Edinburgh man has since been staying at a hotel in Pattaya, a popular beach resort about 90 miles east of Bangkok. He is due in court on April 28, and could face up to three years in jail if convicted. His parents said he was in a bar when he realised he had misplaced his phone. He told them he put an identical one in his pocket without realising it was someone else’s. Thai police confirmed to BBC Scotland that Mr McColl was arrested on the charge of theft by night for stealing a mobile phone. But when asked about the claims it had been a misunderstanding, the officer said there was no record about it and that ‘the offence has been done’. With his insurance not covering costs an online fundraiser has now been set up by his family in a bid to get Mr McColl home. 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.