Paul William Bercu Gaubert, a French national who brutally attacked a 62-year-old Israeli woman and her 23-year-old daughter last week on Koh Phangan, Thailand, has been released from custody after bail of about 12,000 shekels ($3,200) was paid, and is now roaming free. The two Israelis, who were seriously injured in the attack and hospitalized, were informed Friday of his release. The mother remains hospitalized after undergoing two surgeries, while her daughter has been released from the hospital after also undergoing two surgeries.
“I’m feeling better, but I’m still hospitalized,” M. told ynet from her hospital bed. “My daughter received a message from the hotel in Koh Phangan saying they had learned that the attacker had been released. We began checking with the police and tried to understand whether it was true. Today we learned unequivocally that he paid 12,000 shekels in bail and was released from custody, and that he is roaming free on Koh Phangan or Ko Samui.”
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Paul William Bercu Gaubert, a French national who brutally attacked a 62-year-old Israeli woman and her 23-year-old daughter
M. said she and her daughter are fearful and anxious about their safety after learning of Gaubert’s release. He was also violent toward police officers when he was arrested and was hospitalized after force was used against him.
Gaubert at the moment of his arrest
“From the moment we learned about it, we started having anxiety attacks,” she said. “My daughter, who was released from the hospital, wanted to travel to Koh Phangan but was afraid. There’s a sense of injustice because a man beats two women and nearly kills them — and now he’s walking around free.”
According to the mother, “We don’t know who paid his bail. I asked the policewoman and she said she didn’t know. We decided that if he is going to be released, it’s important to warn people because he is a danger to the public — especially Israelis and Jews. I would have expected other authorities to intervene because it’s frightening and dangerous to let him roam free. It’s important to publish the identity of this scumbag and monster.”
Israelis in the hospital
“My daughter underwent two nose surgeries and has now been released from the hospital,” the mother said. “I underwent two ear surgeries because he bit me and caused extensive damage there. I had reconstructive ear surgery under general anesthesia and I’m still hospitalized. I had bleeding in my head, and according to what they told me, the blood was absorbed, but fluid accumulated in my head and I had to undergo a procedure to drain it through my spine. Right now we’re doing better. It took me several days to open my eyes, and I started eating and drinking.”
The attack in Thailand
The mother had flown to Thailand to visit her daughter, who was on a long trip around the country, for two weeks. On Tuesday, they visited a waterfall on Koh Phangan, where they encountered Gaubert, who asked where they were from.
Gaubert taken to hospital after attacking police officers and being beaten
“We went to the waterfall on a motorcycle, parked on the road and then there’s about 100 meters that you have to walk,” the mother recalled. “Suddenly, a man who was also on a motorcycle stopped behind us and started asking how we were. We were busy buying coconuts. He asked my daughter where we were from and she said Israel.”
At that point, Gower began provoking the Israeli women.
“He said, ‘I don’t like what Israel is doing there [in Gaza],’ and I told him we were on vacation and didn’t want to talk about that issue or about what they had done to us,” the mother said. “He said, ‘I’m against violence,’ and the conversation ended. Suddenly, he called us from above, came down toward us and then started beating me brutally. My daughter tried to protect me and was beaten as well. We both fought him. I was hit in the head and at some point I apparently lost consciousness.”
'All we wanted was to see a waterfall. The mother in the hospital
The attacker continued beating the mother, while her daughter ran toward the road to seek help.
“He chased after her, and she managed to call out to two French women who were there,” the mother recalled. “When he saw that there were other people on the road, he took his motorcycle and fled. I remember lying on the road and people telling me that the police and an ambulance would arrive soon. They bandaged my head and took me and my daughter to a hospital on Koh Phangan.”
From her hospital bed, the mother added: “I never thought that something like this would happen to me here in Thailand, where people are so friendly toward Israelis. I’m always careful and don’t say that I’m from Israel. But here in Thailand, I thought it was safe. He had a French accent, but he didn’t look French. We could never have imagined he would do something like this. It’s truly horrifying, and we never thought our trip would end this way. All we wanted was to see a waterfall, and then a man comes and attacks two women in the most brutal way possible. We tried to fight back, but he was extremely violent.”