Bar owner found dead in Thailand

Mr Stewart owned a bar in the Thai resort of Pattaya

A Scottish businessman has been found dead at a holiday resort in Thailand.

The body of bar owner Steven Stewart, 40, from Auchterarder, was found by a maid at the Thong Guest House in Pattaya on Sunday.

He had flown to Thailand just weeks after being convicted of assaulting a pensioner at a pub in Dunning, Perthshire, in October.

A spokesman for Thai police said Mr Stewart's death was not being treated as suspicious.

A hearing at Perth Sheriff Court in November was told Mr Stewart returned to Scotland to make money for his ailing business in Pattaya.

'Heavy drinking'

He was arrested on 5 October after launching an unprovoked attack on a stranger in a pub toilet, claiming he was so drunk he believed his 67-year-old victim was an aggressive skinhead.

After telling the court he had earned £3,000, he was fined £2,000 and ordered to give the rest in compensation to his victim.

Thai Police confirmed on Tuesday Mr Stewart's body was found in Pattaya on Sunday afternoon.

Despite injuries to his face and head, officers said they did not suspect foul play and instead described him as a victim of "excess".

Thai police Lt-Colonel Sompon added: "He had clearly been drinking heavily and had to be helped to his room by guest house staff."

Staff had helped Mr Stewart to his room in the early hours of the morning and was not seen again until the maid found him, still fully-clothed, during the afternoon.

A post mortem to establish the cause of death has still to be concluded.