A former postman has told how he found himself behind bars in a violent Thai jail after becoming embroiled in the seedy underworld of drugs and prostitution.
Jimmy Kelly was in his late forties and living with his parents in Watford, London when a surprise redundancy payout offered him the chance to escape his 'mundane' existence and the job he 'loathed' to pursue his lifelong dream of opening his own bar.
He jetted out to party hot spot Koh Samui intending to invest the £33,000 in his business venture, but squandered much of the cash partying in the island's notorious red light district, the 51-year-old explained in Banged Up Abroad, which airs on Thursday night.
While the bar - named Jimmy Chang's - became incredibly popular, the Brit soon got caught up in island's hedonistic party circuit and was soon taking crystal meth on a regular basis, triggering a downward spiral that would ultimately see him jailed for more than three years.
Jimmy Kelly, pictured in Banged Up Abroad, was in his late forties and living with his parents in Watford, London when a redundancy payout offered him the chance to move to Thailand
The notorious Koh Samui District Prison, where Jimmy Kelly was jailed. After becoming embroiled in the seedy underworld of the red light district he ended up behind bars (file photo)
He was sent to the notorious Koh Samui District Prison, and was shocked by the living conditions and daily violence he experienced - even losing three teeth in a bloody prison fight between two rival gangs.
Jimmy was living at home in London when a surprise windfall changed his life forever.
'I was a postman,' he recalled. 'I absolutely loathed it, I hated the job, I hated everything about it. I wanted to make something of myself, to own my own business.'
When he was offered redundancy, he jumped at the chance to 'go and live my dream'.
'When I first got to Thailand I went into partying mode and it was the first time I'd felt happy for a really long time,' he said. 'I felt special; not normal Jimmy the postman.'
He opened a bar on Koh Samui's red light
