A retired British businessman was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing young boys in Thailand.

Officers arrested John David Ross Young, 78, at his home in Phuket on March 18 after receiving a complaint that the ex-pat had committed 'indecent activities' with a 13-year-old.

The boy was allegedly lured by John's 32-year-old stepson Ekarat, (seen in the video in black cap) who invited the youngster to the foreigner's house to learn how to swim in his back garden pool on the afternoon of March 14.

Police claim that there are at least eight other alleged victims, all underage boys, and two others that they are interviewing.

Officers said they found evidence pointing to 19 total incidents of sexual assault. They are interrogating five other children to build a case against John.

Thai Deputy National Police Chief Lieutenant general Surachet Hakpal said CCTV footage from John's home appeared to support the boy's claims.

The police chief said: 'Local officers had previously obtained information about the activities of the suspect but a witness came forward recently which allowed officers to make the arrest. He was accused of taking a child under the age of 15 from his parents and committing indecent acts.

'Investigators gathered evidence and submitted a request for an arrest warrant so that he could be taken into custody.'

Father-of-two John had reportedly been a property developer in the UK before moving to the island of Phuket in 1999 where he bought villas. His wife was from New Zealand but she is said to have died several years ago and he has two sons living in New Zealand.

He is said to have endeared himself to the local community by doing charity work and providing financial help for struggling residents.

Police said they have allegedly been receiving information about his activities with children since 2020 but have been unable to arrest him due to his ties with residents in nearby villages, who refused to cooperate with law enforcers.

He is said to have worked with his stepson Ekarat to offer the boys swimming lessons in his pool before assaulting them.

John and Ekarat are currently remanded in police custody and are facing charges for 'taking a child under 15 from his parents or guardians without reasonable cause,' and for 'committing indecent acts against children under 15.'