BANGKOK: A Thai man has been charged with murder after a Briton was stabbed to death with a rice sickle in western Thailand, police said on Sunday.

Officers said the two men had been drinking alcohol outside a rented home in Kanchanaburi’s Muang district in the early hours of Saturday before the incident.

A sickle used to harvest rice was found at the crime scene along with a pair of shoes, local media reported.

A 50-year-old British man — who had lived in Thailand for five years with his Thai wife — was found dead lying in a pool of blood. His 54-year-old friend was seriously injured in the attack, police commander of western provinces Thanayut Wuthijarasthamrong said.

“The other Briton is now safe and under care of doctors,” Thanayut said, adding the police investigation was ongoing.

The alleged attacker, a man aged 22, had a history of mental illness, local media reported.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2022