A British husband has been arrested for allegedly shooting dead his Thai wife because she 'ignored him while he was sick' before going on the run.

Anthony James Condron, 56, allegedly blasted Pattanee Urapanom, 43, in the head with a 9mm handgun at their hotel resort before fleeing the scene this morning.

Shocked officers found her body at the Janpanom Farm Stay in Maha Sarakham, Thailand, this morning at 11am.

Condron, from Witham, Essex, was found smoking on a hotel balcony around 80 miles away in the neighbouring province of Khon Kaen. He had allegedly planned to flee tothe coastal town Pattaya.

However, armed cops surrounded the building and negotiated his surrender. He told police he had killed his wife because she 'ignored him while he was feeling unwell'.

Footage shows him laughing as he was frogmarched out of the building into a police van.

'Do they have to take so many cameras, oh thank you for coming, tell them I will only speak for a little bit of time,' he said while smirking.

'I'm not going to run, I'm going to get in the car.'

Police Major General Anuwat Suwannaphum, commander of Khon Kaen police, said: 'When officers encountered the suspect, he surrendered voluntarily. At this stage, he is still confused about the incident. What he has stated so far is that he had an argument with his wife. He also said he was ill, which made him angry, and the situation escalated into a confrontation that led to the shooting.

'His statements remain unclear, but the main point we can gather is that he felt his wife was not taking proper care of him, even though he was sick and needed medical treatment. He felt she was ignoring him being unwell. This reportedly caused him to become upset, leading to the argument.

'At this time, he has not clearly explained why he fled the scene and travelled to Khon Kaen, or how he managed to leave the area. He initially used a white pickup truck, which was later changed to a blue one. It is still unclear whether someone helped him escape or whether a friend picked him up.'

Police in the Don Wan district said that Condron and Pattanee had been arguing before the alleged shooting.

They believe that Condron shot his wife while she was mounting the vehicle to ride away from the home they shared together.

Her corpse was reportedly slumped backwards on the motorcycle seat and lying face up. She was moved onto the ground for CPR to be performed but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Pattanee was wearing a white top and trousers and had a gunshot wound to the head, with the bullet entering her left temple and exiting the right side.

Police checkpoints were placed around the area in a desperate bid to catch Condron.

Major General Paladech Petwango said: ‘The suspect had told foreign friends in Pattaya that he planned to turn himself in there.

‘He said he felt guilty and feared being assaulted by his wife's relatives, but he was eventually arrested in Khon Kaen.

‘The case has drawn strong public attention, and the suspect also carried a firearm, which posed a danger to the public, so we had to urgently find him.'

'Based on the suspect's route, we found that he travelled to Khon Kaen province and abandoned his white Isuzu vehicle.

‘We coordinated with the Immigration Bureau, the regional Investigation Division, Maha Sarakham Provincial Police, and several relevant agencies to assist in the manhunt.

‘We later located him at the Ingtara Hotel in Khon Kaen.

‘Whether anyone assisted him in fleeing remains under investigation.

‘Officers from Khon Kaen Provincial Police and Khon Kaen Immigration negotiated with him for a while before he eventually surrendered at about 3.30pm.

‘He told officials that he had made a mistake and felt remorse for his actions, and therefore decided to surrender, which was considered a peaceful arrest.

‘He is being taken to Don Wan Police Station for further legal action.'

Locals said the suspect had lived in Thailand for more than 10 years but allegedly had a history of drugs and violence.

His wife was well-liked in the local community and volunteered at local schools and charities.

Neighbours said they heard the couple arguing this morning but could not understand what was being said as 'they were shouting in English'.

A number of gunshots were fired before the Brit allegedly sped away in his pickup truck.

If convicted of murder, Condron faces a punishment ranging from 20 years behind bars to the death penalty, depending on aggravating factors and mitigation in the court.