Four foreigners charged over fabricated kidnapping extortion in Pattaya

Four foreigners—two British nationals (Ian Day, 48, Darren Cheeseman, 57), a French national (Damien Roche, 50), and a New Zealander (Ben Cooper, 36)—were arrested in Pattaya in February 2024 after staging a kidnapping hoax. They fabricated violent attack videos using FaceTime and iMessage to extort money from Day's family in the UK, claiming it was for their extended holiday. Illicit drugs and firearms were found during the raid.