Worcester man jailed in UK after Thai prison release

Reece Vella has been jailed for four years and three months

A man who was released from a Thai prison under an amnesty programme has been jailed in the UK on drugs charges.

Reece Vella, of Worcester, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison at the city's crown court on Monday.

The 27-year-old previously admitted two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

He was one of a number of prisoners released by the King of Thailand at his coronation earlier this year.

Vella, of Highfield, served with the Royal Logistics Corp for 15 months before he was medically discharged in 2011.

In 2012, he was jailed for four years and nine months at Worcester Crown Court for rape and assault.

He had been held in Thailand since January 2018 on suspicion of causing death by negligence, overstaying his visa and theft, after a woman fell from a balcony.

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At the time, he was subject to an outstanding bench warrant in the UK for the drugs charges, after failing to appear at court in October 2017.

He was brought back to Worcester by West Mercia Police at the end of May, following his release in Thailand.

In a social media post following the sentencing, South Worcestershire Proactive CID said it was a "great result".