British man ‘shoots himself in head’ playing Russian roulette ‘high on drugs’

He was rushed to hospital and is now in intensive care (Picture: Viral Press)

A British tourist is in intensive care after playing Russian roulette while high on a cocktail of ‘cannabis and laughing gas’.

30-year-old Birkenhead native Michael James Ward reportedly smoked marijuana and inhaled nitrous oxide at a hotel with a friend on Tuesday night in Pattaya, Thailand before the accident.

He had been with Alichanovas Emilijus, 29, from Lithuania before Michael reportedly suffered what he described as a ‘mental breakdown’.

Alichanovas said: ‘Mike invited me to play Russian roulette but I declined and went to bed because I was scared I would hurt myself.

‘While I was in bed, I first heard the trigger being pulled without firing. However, he tried again, and this time, a loud bang followed. I came out of my room and found him in a pool of blood. I screamed his name and ran to call for help from the security guard.’

When medics arrived, they found Michael on the floor with blood ‘gushing’ from his wound.

The friend he was staying with had gone to bed when he heard the shots (Picture: Viral Press) Used balloons were found by police (Picture: Viral Press)

Michael was rushed to a nearby hospital where he remains in critical condition today.

Police Captain Pansan Klongsit of the Pattaya City Police Station said: ‘We have co-ordinated with Chonburi forensic police to collect evidence from both the room and the man’s roommate, including gunshot residue.

‘The roommate was brought in for thorough questioning to investigate how the British man came to possess the firearm involved in the incident.’

Police said the investigation was ongoing while Michael remains in critical condition, but they are waiting for him to regain consciousness to ask him what happened.

Cannabis with under 0.2 per cent of THC was decriminalised in Thailand in June 2022, as a potential cash crop for impoverished farmers.

Cannabis smoking is allowed for personal use in private areas but remains prohibited in public spaces.

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