A cranky Belgian expat allegedly unleashed his pet dogs on passers-by walking past his villa at a beach in Thailand.

Mario Rotsaert, 52, from Eeklo, reportedly let loose his pets to attack pedestrians near Mango Beach Resort in Trat province.

He also allegedly assaulted Thai man Thakorn Chatsukit, 60, who was selling snacks on the public beach.

Police Captain Nakin Sirikool of the Mai Rut Police Station said the man was summoned to the police station on June 26 on charges of 'committing an attack against another without resulting in bodily or mental harm'.

He said: 'The foreigner has admitted to the charges and was fined 1,000 THB (21 GBP).'

Thakorn said that he had been riding a bike through the beach when a pack of around six dogs chased after him, causing him to stumble.

He claimed Mario then arrived and shoved him to the ground before warning him in English not to use the path in front of the resort.

He said: 'He took my bike. I was afraid of being hurt again, especially since he said he owned a gun, so I didn't dare retrieve it from him. I later learned he had thrown it into the sea.'

Despite the resolution of the conflict, Thanakorn said he felt dissatisfied with how the police handled the case.

He said the punishment seemed too light, and would not deter Mario from threatening other pedestrians.

He added: 'The police officers did not even ask to see the CCTV footage from the perpetrator's house. I want the foreigner's visa checked.

'I don't want compensation. I want this incident to be a lesson for the people in the area so that it won't happen to anyone else.'

Meanwhile, another local, rubbish collector Sombat, 78, claimed she was also bitten by Mario's dogs and received a paltry 200 baht compensation.

Local media reported that Mario has fled to a neighbouring country following the incident.