This is the bizarre moment a German tourist is kicked in the head by a taxi driver - as police look on.

Andreas Bruer was riding a moped yesterday (Wed) in Pattaya, Thailand, when police pulled him over and fined him for not having a licence.

Officers fined him and clamped the front wheel of the motorcycle but as Andreas tried to drag it away a cabbie booted him in the face.

Several police officers were stood around German and the local motorcycle tai rider Sunthorn Saengkham, 48, when the attack happened.

Sunthorn was later arrested and charged with assault for the unprovoked attack on the holidaymaker.

He told officers that he believed Andreas was trying to flee the scene and wanted to ''stop him from running away''.

But Lt Col Chaningan Panpinit, eputy inspector of the Pattaya City Police Department, said that the taxi driver had ''overreacted'' and had been fined for assault.

She said: ''Police dealt with the tourist and he was fined for riding a motorcycle without a Thai driving licence.

''The actions of the motorcycle rider were against the law and he has been charged with assault and fined. He blamed losing control of his emotions and said he believed the foreigner was trying to escape.''