The boxer who became Thailand's first Olympic gold medalist was convicted of sexual assault charges involving a minor and sentenced on Thursday to just over three years in prison.

Richard Burrows, now 80, was arrested at Heathrow Airport last March after trying to re-enter the UK from Thailand where he had been living under a false name, a jury was told.

On April 1, 2001, just past the stroke of midnight, four same-sex couples in the Netherlands exchanged wedding vows at the Amsterdam City Hall, which was festooned for the occasion with red and pink roses. Afterward, the couples and guests — and the journalists on hand, including me — were treated to pink champagne in the expansive foyer.

AN on-the-run Scout leader accused of child sex offences told police he had been living in ‘paradise’ for 27 years after being arrested returning from Thailand, a court heard. Richard Burrows, 80, had fled the UK after being due in court in December 1997,

Thailand joins Nepal and Taiwan as the only Asian nations to legalise LGBT unions, amid repressive regimes and religious traditions

Somluck Kamsing, 52, was sentenced to over three years in prison after being found guilty of attempted rape and abduction of a minor. The retired boxer, who became Thailand's first Olympic gold medalist in 1996,

Somluck Kamsing won featherweight title at Atlanta Games in 1996, but is now better known as actor on Thai television.

Last year, Thailand’s parliament passed its Marriage Equality Bill, making it the third country in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to allow same-sex marriage. The bill was then signed into law by King Vajiralongkorn in September, and came into effect 120 days afterward.

After the incident, Somrak had revealed that he had met the girl at a pub in Khon Kaen and claimed he did not know she was a minor when he took her to the hotel. He said he stopped all sexual activity upon learning she was underage. However, he did acknowledge undressing and caressing the girl before falling asleep.

The Southeast Asian nation is the third jurisdiction in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage after Taiwan and Nepal.

The boxer who became Thailand's first Olympic gold medalist has been convicted of sexual assault charges involving a minor and sentenced to just over three years in prison.

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