Paul Noel Casey: Fugitive who evaded cops for a decade using dead man’s passport arrested in Thailand

For the best part of a decade, he lived an idyllic life on a tropical island paradise, running a burger bar with a signature dish playfully named “The Aussie”.

But the 46-year-old Koh Phangan restaurateur known to his punters as Allan Murray was not all he seemed.

In reality, Allan Murray, whose passport the Irish bar owner carried, died in 2016.

And the man in charge of the bar was Paul Noel Casey, an Irishman wanted by authorities in Australia on alleged drug offences in Sydney in 2015.

Casey was wanted by police on suspicion of dealing MDMA but was able to escape the country after allegedly purchasing a forged passport from the back market.

He ended up settling down on Koh Phangan in The Gulf of Thailand, where he established his burger business.

But his rouse fell to pieces when visiting tourists from NSW recognised him from wanted appeals and reported him to the Australian Federal Police in June 2023.

Casey then managed to further evade authorities by travelling 482km away to the expat town of Hua Hin in the Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

However, on July 30, 2024, police finally got their man, tracking him down to a hotel he was staying in.

Now, he is facing almost all of the next two decades behind bars after being handed an 18-year prison sentence in a Thai court.

The fugitive was charged with passport forgery, using a fake passport, and overstaying in Thailand for more than a decade – all of which he admitted.

Police Captain Aroon Moosikim, who spearheaded the case, said: “The suspect was using a fake passport to live in Thailand for a long time. He had a good life on the Full Moon Party island.

“But it was only when someone recognised him that he was detected.

“Then the game was over.”

Casey is believed to have arrived on the Island in 2015, the same year he left Australia.

Irish authorities confirmed the passport of the real Allan Murray was cancelled after his death in April 2016 – but Casey continued to carry his identity beyond this date.

Casey had hoped he could continue to evade authorities and keep a low profile on the tropical island, opening his business alongside a Thai woman he had married, Jirawan Hemwongmanikul.

But when he realised the net was closing on him, the business was suddenly shut down.

The couple then moved to the Hua Hin District, a known destination for Australian and British ex-pats.

Casey was arrested while helping his wife unload groceries from a white sedan at a hotel they were staying in.

“The suspect was elusive and knew that police were monitoring him, gathering evidence,” Mr Aroon said.

“He moved between hotels and evaded arrest, all while living illegally in this country.

“It is believed that Casey likely obtained the deceased Mr Allan Murray’s passport through illegal means, such as purchasing it on the black market, to evade prosecution in Australia and use it to enter and reside in Thailand.

“Anybody who thinks they can break the law to use Thailand as a hiding place should know, we will find you eventually.”

Casey had previously been arrested in Coogee, in Sydney’s east, in March 2013 over alleged possession of 750g of MDMA and $US40,000 in cash.

He was charged with possession and supply of the drug and two other charges but failed to appear at Downing Centre District Court in March 2015.