A Brit has been arrested after he allegedly left a restaurant a series of one-star reviews.
The man has been identified as 21-year-old Alexander.
He was arrested yesterday (9 May) on a warrant that had been issued on 23 August last year.
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According to the investigation, Alexander had allegedly had a dispute with the owner of an Italian restaurant in mid-2022.
The dispute was about access to the flat where the Brit was staying in Phuket, Thailand, it’s claimed.
The disagreement arose when Alexander was allegedly asked to stop taking a convenient route to his accommodation via the eatery.
Opening the route incurred a cost for the business and so was designated for restaurant clients only.
Later, the owner noticed his restaurant’s average star rating on Google had dropped from a lofty 4.9 to just 3.1.
He quickly realised it had been given multiple one-star reviews in a short period, as reported on Need to Know.
He claims the reviews were full of false information in an apparent bid to reduce the eatery’s custom.
Suspecting Alexander was behind the malicious act, he went to the police in Sakhu.
Believing that the Brit and several of his friends had left the negative reviews, investigators requested an arrest warrant from the Phuket Provincial Court.
But by that point, Alexander had left Phuket.
He was found and arrested in the Wat Phraya Krai area of Bangkok more than eight months later.
He is formally accused of “importing false information into a computer system in a manner likely to cause damage to the public”.
He has been sent back to Sakhu to face prosecution.
Alexander is protesting his innocence.
