'They gave me bail - absolute wallies': Fugitive British criminal brags about being allowed to flee country to Thailand's 'Sin City' while awaiting trial for stabbing

By AIDAN RADNEDGE, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:16, 26 May 2026 | Updated: 09:24, 26 May 2026 A fugitive British ex-inmate has boasted about being freed to flee to Thailand while awaiting trial for knife crime - as new figures showed how tens of thousands of defendants have skipped court. The self-confessed offender named as 'AD' told Channel 4's Dispatches programme that officials were 'absolute wallies' for granting him bail after his arrest for wounding with intent. He bragged about boarding a plane to a place in Thailand dubbed 'Sin City' - while being told by his lawyer he might as well be able to escape 'to the moon and back'.  AD told of how, despite apparently facing a potential sentence of up to 18 years behind bars, he was able to leave the country with ease.  His taunts come as it was revealed almost 60,000 criminal suspects skipped court in England and Wales last year – including thousands accused of serious and violent crimes. The new investigative programme called Hunting Britain's Fugitives included tracking down five of the UK's most wanted criminals, wanted for offences including shootings, stabbings, major drug trafficking and multi-million-pound insider trading. Freedom Of Information requests to police forces across England and Wales discovered there were almost 60,000 Failure to Appear warrants filed in 2025 – up by nearly 50 per cent since 2020.  And while some criminals have been finally brought to justice, more than 30,000 Failure to Appear warrants remain outstanding – more than 7,000 of which were issued way back before 2020. A self-confessed offender named as 'AD' told Channel 4's Dispatches programme that officials were 'absolute wallies' for granting him bail after his arrest for wounding with intent More than a quarter of these were for category A offences including rape, armed robbery and manslaughter. Crown courts, presiding over the most serious offences, have seen the tally of such warrants more than double, surging by 134 per cent from 6,808 in 2020 to 15,963 in 2024, Dispatches found. Courts have the power to confiscate defendants' passports - yet AD told of being allowed to keep his despite being accused of a violent crime and having previous similar convictions. Dispatches tracked him down to Pattaya Bay in Thailand, known locally as 'Sin City' and notorious for being a hotbed of sex tourism and other criminal enterprises. The programme's presenter Matt Shea met the self-confessed offender, who appears covering his face in a balaclava while opening up about his flit to Thailand. AD told Dispatches: 'Well, I was accused of Section 18 wounding with intent. I went out with a knife and it got used. They're talking to me, something about looking at 18 years. 'Do you know what I mean? That type of time kind of gives me shivers and gives me goosebumps a little bit, do you know what I mean? 'Because I've already been inside, like, three times, you see, and I learnt from that and I booted off – just jumped on a plane and got out, mate. Dispatches presenter Matt Shea (pictured) tracked down criminals who have skipped court Matt Shea (right) is seen here in Pattaya Bay, Thailand, with the criminal known as 'AD' (left) 'Booked a flight on easyjet.com, wherever you call it, and that's just the way I've lived my life. I've stopped saying no to things and I always say yes. 'I actually got booked, my flight, the same day as court – and they gave me bail, didn't they, the absolute wallies? I can go to the moon and back, my solicitor told me. 'Yeah, I even asked, I said, would I be able to have a quick holiday and then come back? I'll quickly run back. 'She goes, yeah, you can go to the moon and back if you want – as long as you're here on this day, at this time. Ra, ra, ra, ra – yak, yak, yak, yak.' Other examples of offenders who have skipped court and been highlighted by the NCA and Crimestoppers include someone who posed as a taxi driver and raped a 25-year-old woman. Also wanted were a person who murdered a 16-year-old and another who was issued with a Failure to Appear warrant for a drug dealing offence and subsequently became wanted in connection with a murder. A British fugitive named as Miles was also tracked down, having been wanted for skipping court in connection with a shooting and a stabbing. Despite being subject to an arrest warrant, he reportedly continues to live in North London, moving between safe houses arranged by his gang. He is quoted in the new programme describing life on the run, saying: 'I don't sleep. My eyes are always open. There's more paranoia. You can't do nothing, mate. A British fugitive named as Miles was also tracked down, having been wanted for skipping court in connection with a shooting and a stabbing - pictured, right, with Matt Shea (left) 'Prisons are packed. Court cases take years. Who wants to sit on remand for two or three years? 'If you want to go on the run, you can go on the run. No one's stopping you.' Dispatches also spoke to Rashid Ali, who had been in Britain on a student visa before travelling back to his homeland Pakistan. He was subsequently convicted in his absence of causing death by dangerous driving after knocking down and killing 29-year-old father-to-be Jack Ryan, and was sentenced to five years in prison.  Mr Ryan's sister Ciara said: 'We could have shown forgiveness if he'd taken accountability. There was none of that there. 'I would like Rashid Ali to come back of his own accord. He said he would come back and face consequences if found guilty. 'He was found guilty unanimously. If that's not the case, I would like the government to support us in bringing him back. 'And really I would like it to be the case that people facing serious charges and custodial sentences aren't able to have their passport and then essentially abscond as has been the case for us. Ciara Ryan, whose brother Jack Ryan was run over and killed, wants people facing serious charges and potential jail terms to be denied their passports for fear they could abscond She called for government help to bring back to Britain the man convicted in his absence of causing 29-year-old Jack Ryan's death by dangerous driving 'Having been someone that's never been involved with the justice system before, I had a lot of faith in it in the UK. I was a believer in that it worked. It's not working. It hasn’t worked for five years for my family.' Ali told Dispatches presenter Matt Shea, in a call from Saudi Arabia after being traced via a phone number on his business website, that he was 'terminally ill' with 'tuberculosis and some other health issues' but would return to the UK next year. Rashid added, of Mr Ryan's family: 'I feel sorry for them and I definitely will face justice, mate. Everyone will see. I will let you enjoy the rest of your day.' Ex-Justice Secretary Alexander Chalk, who served in government under Boris Johnson and then Rishi Sunak, blamed factors including the Covid-19 pandemic, a barristers' strike, a crown court backlog and shortages of prison spaces. He told Dispatches: 'The real question is whether the situation is recoverable at all. Delay is toxic. 'Every prosecutor knows it gives defendants more opportunity to disappear. That’' why this is a horror show.  'If you're a defendant and you've been accused of a really appalling, serious crime - say, rape - and you are told that your trial is not going to take place for three years, you might think: "Well, you know what? If I hang around, she’' going to get bored." So you might just go to Thailand.' It was recently revealed that the number of cases waiting to be dealt with by crown courts in England and Wales had hit a record high of more than 80,000 cases.  Ex-Justice Secretary Alexander Chalk blamed factors including the Covid-19 pandemic, a barristers' strike, a crown court backlog and shortages of prison spaces There were 80,203 outstanding cases at the end of last year, up by eight per cent on the 74,106 recorded in the previous 12 months, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice. That was more than double the level seen before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, when the Crown Court backlog was just 38,108. Defendants have now been waiting more than nine weeks on average to be dealt with at the Crown Court, which increases to almost 49 weeks for cases being heard via a jury trial following a not guilty plea. The number of open cases for sexual offences surged by 24 per cent compared to the previous year, while public order offences and fraud offences both increased by 13 per cent and violence against the person rose by seven per cent. London was found to have the largest backlog, with 19,339 open criminal cases, having risen by 21 per cent since 2025. Meanwhile, the backlog for magistrates' courts surged by 17 per cent year-on-year to 379,437 open cases at the end of last year, another record high since 2019. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson has said in response to the Dispatches findings: 'Court cases are taking too long. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. 'That's why we’re pulling every lever available - record financial investment, system efficiencies and pragmatic structural reforms to turn the tide on the backlog and deliver faster and fairer justice for victims.' A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: 'We understand the disappointment felt by victims of crime when a defendant leaves the country whilst on bail. 'The CPS will oppose a bail application if there are substantial grounds to believe a defendant will not attend court. 'We consider a wide range of relevant factors including, but not limited to, a defendant’s previous attendance at court hearings. Final decisions about bail are made by the court.' Hunting Britain's Fugitives: Dispatches airs on Friday 29 May at 8pm on Channel 4 and will also be available to stream on channel4.com. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. 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