British kickboxer gets 25 years for murder of US Marine in Thailand
Lee Aldhouse, from Yardley, Birmingham, admitted killing Dashawn Longfellow
Lee Aldhouse, from Yardley, Birmingham, was convicted of stabbing the former US marine in the early hours of August 14, 2010 Photo: AP
The first Briton to be extradited to Thailand in over 100 years has been
sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of a decorated former US
marine.
Lee Aldhouse, from Yardley, Birmingham, admitted killing Dashawn Longfellow, a
veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, on August 14th 2010 a few hours after the
pair clashed in a bar on the popular tourist island of Phuket.
The shaven-headed, powerfully-built Aldhouse appeared at Phuket’s Provincial
Court Thursday morning in prison fatigues and with his hands and ankles
shack,
A former kickboxer who fought under the name ‘The Pitbull’, Mr Aldhouse was
given a life term by Judge Montri Sarot, but the sentence was immediately
reduced to 25 years because the 30-year-old had pleaded guilty to the murder
charge.
Mr Longfellow’s family reacted with dismay to the shortened sentence.
“25 years is not long enough. Lee took the life of our hero,” wrote his brother Marquis Longfellow on a commemorative Facebook page set up for Mr Longfellow. “Lee deserves to rot and in hell.”
Last month, Mr Longfellow’s mother Tammy made an emotional plea on her Facebook page for Aldhouse to receive a full life term, which in Thailand is 50 years.
“Please, from the bottom of my heart, don’t give him less time,” wrote Mrs Longfellow. “My son was a damn good kid and that man took his life.”
Mr Aldhouse stabbed Mr Longfellow to death hours after the pair fought in Phuket’s Freedom Bar. He fled Thailand immediately but was arrested at Heathrow airport on his return to Britain.
Following a two year legal battle to avoid extradition to Thailand, Aldhouse was returned to Phuket last December on the condition that he would not face the death penalty.
He is believed to be the first Briton to be extradited to Thailand under a 101-year-old treaty that has never previously been used.
Initially, Mr Aldhouse denied murdering Mr Longfellow, telling the court during his trial in February that he had accidentally killed him in self-defence while searching for his pet dog.
But after CCTV evidence revealed him demanding two knives from a convenience store close to his home, Mr Aldhouse changed his plea to guilty in August and apologised to Mr Longfellow’s family.
Having spent the last year in Phuket’s over-crowded jail, Mr Aldhouse is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence in a prison on the mainland.
His lawyer said he had no plans to appeal the verdict, or to ask to be transferred to a prison in the UK.
Mr Longfellow’s family reacted with dismay to the shortened sentence.
“25 years is not long enough. Lee took the life of our hero,” wrote his brother Marquis Longfellow on a commemorative Facebook page set up for Mr Longfellow. “Lee deserves to rot and in hell.”
Last month, Mr Longfellow’s mother Tammy made an emotional plea on her Facebook page for Aldhouse to receive a full life term, which in Thailand is 50 years.
“Please, from the bottom of my heart, don’t give him less time,” wrote Mrs Longfellow. “My son was a damn good kid and that man took his life.”
Mr Aldhouse stabbed Mr Longfellow to death hours after the pair fought in Phuket’s Freedom Bar. He fled Thailand immediately but was arrested at Heathrow airport on his return to Britain.
Following a two year legal battle to avoid extradition to Thailand, Aldhouse was returned to Phuket last December on the condition that he would not face the death penalty.
He is believed to be the first Briton to be extradited to Thailand under a 101-year-old treaty that has never previously been used.
Initially, Mr Aldhouse denied murdering Mr Longfellow, telling the court during his trial in February that he had accidentally killed him in self-defence while searching for his pet dog.
But after CCTV evidence revealed him demanding two knives from a convenience store close to his home, Mr Aldhouse changed his plea to guilty in August and apologised to Mr Longfellow’s family.
Having spent the last year in Phuket’s over-crowded jail, Mr Aldhouse is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence in a prison on the mainland.
His lawyer said he had no plans to appeal the verdict, or to ask to be transferred to a prison in the UK.
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