A libel case brought by Pattaya businessman Andre Machielsen against Drew Noyes, the city’s most famous American was today dismissed by a judge at the Pattaya Provincial Court on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
Drew Noyes, the founding father of the prestigious Pattaya Times, and one of Thailand’s foremost experts on libel law (according to his website) left the court smiling.
Machielsen a seasonal Santa Claus in Pattaya, who runs a security business, and is sick to death of being called a ‘Seasonal Santa’, claimed Noyes libelled him by describing him as a ‘drugs dealer’ in an email to a noyes google blogspot site.
Noyes, 57, who claims to have spent 14 years in the service of the King of Thailand, claimed that his email could have been hijacked by any one of his employees.
Fuller report to follow. But who is the mysterious man posing as Drew Noyes on G-Mail – and have you had an email from him? – Please send them in to drummondnews at gmail.com
No comments insulting the judiciary or of course Drew Noyes, one of the most reassuring and credible Americans to have made Thailand his home, will be accepted. We hope of course that Drew Noyes wrote in this email to clients in 2011 is not suggesting what it, well appears to suggest.
So what I gather from this is that you can't trust DrewNoyes@gmail.com to be the personal address of Drew Noyes, that anyone at his office can access his account.
To me, this seems like a very serious lack of really basic security on Drew's part. It makes you wonder what that person that accessed Drew Noyes account to make that derogatory post might have access to?
Can you imagine the personal information that through Drew Noyes's negligence his staff might have access to? Bank account numbers, very personal information regarding the background of his clients, negotiations between parties in lawsuits…basically everything a client would want kept private.
What's shocking is that despite Drew knowing about someone reading all of his personal mail, Drew continues to use the same account to this day.
Speaking solely for myself, I'd think that if Drew Noyes couldn't keep a password safe, I wouldn't trust him to keep my money safe as several people have found out.
Topper, you are assuming Drew's excuse is a valid one. His email account may not have been compromised at all. I suspect that he and he alone is writing his emails.
There's a low key and reasoned report over at the pattaya times…NOT
Hopefully this doesnt reflect the likely outcome of other cases pending…
The way I read the Pattaya Times article is that Drew Noyes is saying that it's acceptable that he committed libel since it was on someone else's web site, and if that person hadn't created the web site then Drew Noyes couldn't have written a libelous comment on it.
Very twisted logic from Drew Noyes if you ask me.
I have an Email from drewnoyes@gmail.com
It says "
Thank Andre and Andrew for your newfound fame and upcoming trials. Im sure after your testimony they are very happy with you.
You were right when you said the truth will come out. "
It points to a arather badly written piece in that Newspaper that no one reads and says:
————————————————————
In a strange case that was heard in Pattaya Provincial Court last November against Drew Noyes, the judge in the case gave the final verdict today. Andre Johannes Machielsen had filed a criminal case against local businessman Drew Walter Noyes for defamation and violation of the Thailand Computer Crimes Act. The charges stem from a negative post in 2008 about Andre Machielsen that was posted in reply to false allegations about Drew Noyes on a hate blog website. Thor Ferris Halland, a witness for Andre Machielsen, admitted in court that he and Andre Machielsen had made the hate website and added negative comments about Drew Noyes on the Blogger site. The comment against Machielsen could not have been posted if there was not site. The creator of the site is responsible under Thai law for all content including posts and comments. Therefore, Machielsen was responsible for the comment that offended him.
————————————————————-
Interestingly he describes my comments as negative but doesn't actually deny they are true.
Poor old Drew. This whole fiasco must have cost him a fortune.
I wonder how much the next case will cost him?
Sure it was him – not just somebody using his computer?
As I understand from my fly, there was an e-mail sent to Thor Halland by Drew Noyes two weeks before Thor signed a statement. He threatened Thor that if he did not come to make a statement at Drew's office he would be a defendant in a future court case Drew implied he would start. This e-mail was admitted to the court and negates any signed statement made by Thor 2 weeks later. Its called "under duress". That Thor's wife was mentioned in that e-mails makes it much stronger to. Drew won the battle but not this war.
Topper I notice you have your business concern's logo for an Avatar. What a clever idea for free advertising.
Andrew, may I do the same?
I wrote before I thought this case would go nowhere, (the plaintiff man was convicted on drug charges, correct? ) and you called me a traitor. Sniff.
Can you see why, now?
Well well, I finally spoke to my fly, who is still buzzing being busy. What happened Friday was clear, expect the un-expected, and especially in PTY he found out, it's known for this. Nothing has changed though, the train is still on track and the planned trip will be followed. It's a disappointing fact to understand some institutions do not really adhere to the solemn oat they made when assuming a certain position, whats new. The next part of the trip, which was planned from the very beginning, will be made, actually nothing has changed. I do not believe anybody for that matter thought is would be over after the first part of the trip did they? The next part will not be in PTY and out of reach,…… as was planned all along. Thanks fly, I feel much better now.
I've noticed neither of the two other expat owned newspapers mentioned Drew's victory. Could it be that Niels and Peter are distancing themselves from him?
This begs the question can one buy a victory? It's like winning an election Thai style. And for Cristy S. incorrect, and you are ill informed.
The girl is more than just ill informed me thinks.
Sorry Pay Anglo- ill informed as to Mr. Topper using his av to get a free ad, or the plaintiff was not prosecuted on drug charges at one time? I understand the judge threw it out however for another reason, lack of evidence regarding the e mail address.
These internet slander cases are difficult.
Andrew, I do wish you would not post the personally motivated personal slur type one to four word comments that "Sam" is so well known for all over the Thai based forum community. " More than ill informed, " is just trawling BS.