A British husband arrested for allegedly shooting dead his Thai wife left a police station in a van as he potentially faces the death penalty in Thailand.

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

Shocked officers found her body at the Janpanom Farm Stay in Maha Sarakham, Thailand, at around 11am local time.

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 to coastal town Pattaya but was caught when armed police surrounded the building and negotiated his surrender.

He was taken to the Khon Kaen Police Station and reportedly told police he had killed his wife because she 'ignored him while he was feeling unwell'.

He was later transferred to the Don Wan Police Station in Maha Sarakham province where the alleged murder happened.

Footage shows officers marching the cuffed Brit into a van as reporters asked him: 'Do you feel sorry for what you have done?'

Seemingly exhausted, the husband shut his eyes and leaned his head against the window as police closed the doors and the vehicle pulled away.

Contradicting his earlier statement, Condron claimed that the shooting was accidental, triggered by a struggle over the firearm which caused it to fire twice.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Katta Phudoungjit of the Don Wan Police Station said: ‘The British suspect has not confessed.

‘He gave a partial confession, admitting that he was present at the scene but denying that he directly pulled the trigger. His statement attempted to deflect responsibility by claiming that the shooting was 'unintentional'.

‘We have an eyewitness who was standing one to two metres from the shooting and saw the moment the gun was fired. The witness is a relative of the victim.

‘The suspect also gave a statement to a person he trusts, with an interpreter present, at Khon Kaen City Police Station.

‘The material cannot yet be made public because Don Wan Police Station must formally request the video file to include it in the case file before submitting it to prosecutors.

‘We have charged him with intentional murder and illegal possession of a firearm under the Firearms Act.

‘The weapon involved was a homemade firearm that had been modified by changing the barrel.

‘The suspect denied owning the gun, saying, 'I am a foreigner — why would I have a gun?'.

'However, he did not identify who the firearm belonged to and only insisted that it was not his.

‘He claimed that his wife did not take care of him when he was ill.

‘He told police that he had previously fainted and lost consciousness. He said he regularly takes anti-anxiety medication, and suffers from panic attacks.

‘We will oppose bail. As for whether anyone assisted him in fleeing, that matter remains under investigation.'

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.

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

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.'

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 that morning but could not understand what was being said as 'they were shouting in English'.

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.