Scottish Backpacker Faces Thai Theft Charges

0:00It's April 28th, Edinburgh news today starts now, AI-powered and ready. I'm Cory with the story. A 37-year-old Scottish backpacker named Rory McColl is stuck in Thailand after getting pens for allegedly swiping a mobile phone in. Bangkok back in early March. He says it was just a mix-up. He grabbed what he thought was his identical device off a bar counter, but it belonged to a waitress. Cops held him two nights on a concrete floor, seized his passport, and now he's in legal limbo. Earlier this week, he faced a hearing in the Thai capital, but they pushed the next one to the 28th of July. His lawyer laid out the case, showing the waitress agreed it was all an honest mistake, and Rory's pleading not guilty. His family back in Edinburgh is heartbroken. His mom called the whole ordeal inhumane, like he's already doing time far from home. They're chatting with him daily, but that powerless feeling hits hard when your kids trapped overseas over something this small. After Thai law, even petty theft like this can mean up to five years behind bars, so

1:02the stakes are sky high, despite the evidence leaning his way. Police confirmed the arrest around the 9th or 10th of March, and the woman's gone quiet after backing his story initially. Meanwhile, the UK foreign office is on it, linking up with local authorities to support this stranded traveler. Rory's just riding out the wait, hoping that July day brings justice in a flight home.