PATTAYA, THAILAND – British entrepreneur Quentin Griffiths, co-founder of online fashion retailer ASOS, died after falling from the 17th floor of his condominium in Pattaya, prompting an ongoing police investigation into the circumstances.
Police examined scene after fatal high-rise fall
Police and rescue workers found the 58-year-old lying dead on the ground beneath his balcony after he had fallen from the 17th floor of his condo in Pattaya. Investigators said there were currently no obvious signs of a struggle inside the apartment, but the exact cause of death was to be determined through further forensic examinations and a full autopsy.
Family circle calls death “a real mystery”
The case was first reported on 19 February by British tabloid The Sun, which cited people close to the family. A person close to the family told the paper,
“it is a real mystery”
said a family acquaintance, adding that the phrase
“suspicious circumstances”
said a family acquaintance, had already been mentioned, but that people simply did not yet know what had actually happened.
Dispute with Thai ex-wife over alleged missing funds
His death came against the backdrop of an ongoing and heated conflict with his Thai ex-wife, who accused him of taking £500,000 from their jointly run company. Last year he was arrested and questioned by police in connection with this after she alleged he had forged documents to sell land and company shares without her knowledge, an accusation he denied before being released following the interview while investigations continued.
Role in building ASOS and later life in Thailand
Griffiths had helped to build ASOS in 2000 into a fashion retailer that later reached a market value of around £3 billion, with its own brands reportedly worn by the Princess of Wales and Michelle Obama. The former advertising executive left the company after four years as marketing director, made around £15 million from share sales in 2010 and received another substantial share allocation in 2013.
Family life in Southeast Asia and UK response
The father of three moved to Thailand around 2007, divorced his first wife and later married a Thai woman, with whom he had a son and a daughter before the couple separated several years ago. A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said,
“we are supporting the family of a British national who died in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities”
said a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office, while Thai police continued to investigate the circumstances of the fall.