Thailand stops GTA IV sales after taxi driver is murdered

Eighteen-year old attempts to "recreate" scene

4 August 2008 15:32 GMT / By Verity Burns

A Thai video game distributor has halted sales of Grand Theft Auto in the country after a teenager confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver in an attempt to re-enact a scene from the game.

Police have said the 18-year old, who played Grand Theft Auto obsessively, showed no sign of mental problems during questionning but did admit to committing the crime because of the game.

He added he had not meant to kill the driver, whom he chose as his victim due to his age, but that he stabbed him to death when he attempted to fight back.

The teenager was arrested after police found him trying to steer a cab backwards out of a Bangkok street, with the severely wounded driver in the back seat.

"We are sending out requests today to outlets and shops to pull the games off their shelves and we will replace them with other games," said Sakchai Chotikachinda, sales and marketing director of New Era Interactive Media

"We are also urging video game arcades to pull the games from service," Sakchai said.

As for the teenagers motives, hief police investigator Veeravit Pipattanasak said: "He said he wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game."

The 18-year-old high school student is now in custody pending further investigations and a trial. He faces death by lethal injection if found guilty of robbing and killing a 54-year-old taxi driver with a knife on Saturday.

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