A British husband wanted for attempted murder was found dead in Thailand.

Kelly Antony Gerrard, 42, allegedly peppered a cannabis shop with gunfire then fled to an abandoned beachfront pavilion on Cha-am Beach near Hua Hin in Phetchaburi province.

He was believed to have been staying at the seaside hideaway for several days to escape police before he was found lifeless by a shocked passer-by taking a stroll along the shore.

Cha-am Police Station officers rushed to the scene on Sunday, December 8, after receiving a report that a dead foreigner was discovered at the pavillion. They arrived at the beach and confirmed the deceased to be the Brit fugitive.

Police Lieutenant Sutat Majiew of the Cha-am Police Station said: 'A Thai tourist reported that a foreign man had hanged himself at the abandoned pavilion in the Bo Khem community on Cha-am Beach.

'He was wearing a cap and a blindfold while hanging from a rope tied to the pavillion's wooden beam.'

Cops said there were no indications that Kelly was assaulted. He reportedly left behind various messages written in sand, such as a heart with the words ‘Bad Girl Forever', 'Bad Man Forever', 'Thank You', and the date of his death.

Police also found an overturned stool, a novel, and a bed sheet at the scene.

Investigations found that the husband was the subject of arrest warrants for robbery and attempted murder in the Cha-am and Hua Hin districts. Both regions are popular with British retirees.

His Thai wife, Sawat Boonsa-ard, 47, said he had disappeared from home on December 4. She claimed he was out on bail, and had allegedly been scammed out of 450,000 baht (10,500 GBP) by a foreign acquaintance from whom he had sought legal help.

She said: 'My son and I have been looking for him for several days but we couldn't find him. He had been extremely stressed lately because of legal troubles. I am devastated that I will never see him alive again.'

The British man's body was taken to the Phra Chom Klao Hospital for a post-mortem exam.