A Russian tourist has turned himself in to police after allegedly driving a pickup truck while his friend had sex with a Thai woman in the back.

The suspect, Alex, 25, turned himself in to authorities today over a public sex video that sparked outrage among locals in Phuket, southern Thailand.

Police launched an investigation after another Russian tourist, Georgy Dzugkoev, 23, and a petite woman, 42, were seen romping naked on a black pickup truck driven by Alex.

The pair were both unclothed, with Georgy standing behind the woman, who was steadying herself with a rope tied to the cabin roof as the truck whizzed along a wet road in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Alex allegedly admitted to driving the truck, adding he had known Georgy for just four days.

Police Major Kan Aksornthong of the Mueang Phuket Police Station said: 'We charged him with assisting in public obscenity, reckless driving without regard for the safety of other people's lives or bodies, and importing obscene data into a computer system.'

Georgy, or Georgii in some languages, was arrested on Thursday, September 25, as he allegedly tried to flee the country at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

He is facing up to five years in prison for publishing the explicit video and was flown back to Phuket, where the alleged crime happened.

Cops had already arrested the woman, a sex worker on the holiday island.

She told officers she was 'pressured into the stunt to earn extra money'.

The suspect added: 'I was scared because it was dangerous, but he persuaded me to do it. I felt pressured, and I needed the extra money.'

Authorities said the Russian man will be charged with public obscenity and uploading pornographic material into a computer system after he shared the video on his Instagram account.

The country's notoriously strict Computer Crimes Act, which covers the dissemination of adult material, carries a jail term of up to five years.

Officers said the Russian's visa will also be revoked, and he will be banned from returning to Thailand after being deported.

The Thai woman, whose name was not disclosed by police, was charged with public obscenity, which carries a fine of up to 5,000 Baht (116 GBP).

Georgy has a bizarre Telegram and YouTube channel where he publishes extreme stunts, pranks and explicit sex videos with multiple women.

One clip shows him in a room with three Thai woman as he plays mobile phone games on their backsides.

The once-pristine island of Phuket has been marred by over-tourism as the Thai government implements a visa-free scheme to boost revenue following the barren pandemic years.

Angry locals claim the push for tourist dollars has attracted crowds of 'low-quality' visitors from Russia, India and Australia. There are also fears that the island has become an enclave of criminal activity, with police unable to control street fights and more organised ruffians setting up rackets among local businesses.