A tourist allegedly stole a charity donation box from a massage parlour after being refused a refund for a session with no happy ending.

The Israeli holidaymaker paid 300 baht (6.8 GBP) for a rub down with one of the masseuses at the seedy shop in Thai red-light district Pattaya on October 17.

But the customer, named by police as Bar Biton, said he was angry when the massage ended with him still pent up.

When staff refused to refund him, or provide any sexual services, he allegedly pulled on his clothes and fled - grabbing a stack of cash-filled envelopes from the counter that were intended for the local Buddhist temple.

CCTV footage shows the holidaymaker plucking the temple donations from the reception desk, leaving employees stunned as he fled. He was soon caught when motorcycle taxi riders, who heard the staff screaming for help, blocked his path.

He was detained and the stolen money stuffed in his pockets was seized.

While being grilled by the locals, he said: 'I just wanted to punish you for what you did. You can go to police if you want. I paid to get sex from one of their girls and they didn't give me. I have family, one father and one mother.'

Police officers from the local station took the tourist into custody for legal action.

A police spokesman said: 'We have advised the shop manager to gather evidence from CCTV footage and all donation envelopes to file a formal complaint against the perpetrator.'

Officers said the issue escalated because the holidaymaker believed the 300 Baht he paid for the massage entitled him to have sex with the worker. However, as is customary in Thai massage outlets, he was asked to pay her a further 1,000 Baht (22.80 GBP) for extras.

Tourists are regularly attacked or caught up in crime, leading Pattaya to be dubbed 'Sin City'.

Embarrassed officials in the central government have launched tourism initiatives to attract families and rebrand Pattaya as a safe destination.

Authorities have also introduced safety measures, such as improved lighting and CCTV.

Despite some success in cleaning up the town's image, alcohol and sex remain its biggest draws, often leading to a high rate of crime and accidents.