BBC Sport Editor Dan Roan has been slammed by outraged fans after being caught on camera claiming the former beauty queen killed alongside the Leicester City owner was his mistress.
Roan was standing outside Leicester’s King Power stadium when his private conversation was picked up by a nearby camera recording for an online live stream.
Standing next to the thousands of tributes left by fans, he was filmed talking about Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s personal assistant Nusara Suknamai.
Referring to Ms Suknamai, he said ‘As opposed to the mistress who died in the crash, otherwise known as member of staff, i.e. mistress… family man…’
He then added: ‘But that’s what you do if you are a billionaire or royalty, it’s relatively expected so we shouldn’t judge.’
The ex-beauty queen turned personal assistant was killed in Saturday night’s horror helicopter crash, along with her boss, 60, his pilot Eric Swaffer, 53, his girlfriend Izabela Roza Lechowicz, 46 and another employee Kaveporn Punpare.
When the footage was spotted by fans on social media, they were quick to condemn his ‘disrespectful comments’.
One user wrote: ‘It doesn’t matter that it was private, or off-air, you were stood 5 yards away from his memorial.
‘So disrespectful, so thoughtless and ‘hurtful.’
‘You should be ashamed. Please don’t come anywhere near my football club again.’
One of the five dead in the Leicester City helicopter crash was former Thai beauty queen Nursara Suknamai. She was Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s personal assistant
Nusara Suknamai was one of the staff members who perished after the tragic helicopter crash at Leicester’s King Power stadium on Saturday. But BBC Sport Editor Dan Roan said she was the billionaire club owner’s mistress not his personal assistant
Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is pictured here arriving for a training session before their International Champions Cup (ICC) in July 2016
Dan Roan (pictured reporting from Leicester last night) was caught on camera discussing the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s private life
Another user also suggested the senior editor might not be welcome at the club anymore, he said: ‘Please leave Leicester and do not return.
‘I don’t care if it was a private, off air conversation.
‘The fact you’ve said what you have in our darkest hour shows what kind of person you are.’
Roan was picked up on a Sky News live feed broadcasting to thousands on video sharing website YouTube.
Senior BBC journalist Roan apologised on Twitter for the mistake, posting: ‘Just want to say sorry for some comments made in a private, off-air conversation earlier with a colleague. Absolutely no offence intended.’
A spokesman for the BBC added: ‘This was an ill-judged comment made in a private off-air conversation for which Dan has apologised.’
Ms Suknamai came second in Miss Universe Thailand 2005 and was crowned Miss Intercontinental Thailand.
She was awarded the Miss Photogenic accolade in the Bangkok-based contest the same year.
She was active on social media, regularly posting snaps of her globetrotting, from Italy, Japan and Greece to escapes to the Cotswolds and beside stars including Jamie Vardy, Gareth Southgate and Harry Maguire.
Just one day before she died she enjoyed a meal with friends at top Greek restaurant Estiatorio Milos in London’s Regent Street, where she happily posed for pictures.
After a stint in the modelling world, she was hired by Leicester’s billionaire owner, father-of-four Mr Srivaddhanaprabha.
Nursara Suknamai with Leicester City players Harry Maguire (left), who also plays for England, and Wes Morgan (right)
Nursara Suknamai with Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who is the son of Denmark legend Peter Schmeichel
Ms Suknamai posed for these pictures at the Greek fish restaurant Estiatorio Milos in London just one day before she died
Nursara Suknamai with Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy. He and his wife Rebekah have expressed their devastation since news of his death broke on Sunday
She died after Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s helicopter plummeted 200ft and crashed into the car park at the King Power stadium at 8.30pm on Saturday.
It had taken off from the centre circle of the club’s ground, but witnesses claim the engine cut out mid-air and it spiralled out of control.
Instead of crashing into the stands and hospitality areas the aircraft came down on empty land 200 yards from the stadium.
It avoided busy roads and the last of the 31,000 fans still in the area along with dozens of police officers.
Pilot Mr Swaffer was hailed a hero, but experts suspect the aircraft’s tail rotor failed, sending the £6million AugustaWestland AW169 into a ‘dead man’s curve’ that even the best pilot would not have been able to handle.
The helicopter belonging to Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha crashed outside the King Power Stadium following Leicester’s 1-1 draw with West Ham on Saturday and burst into a flames
The scene of the crash was sealed off by police officers with a sheet covering one end of the helicopter in the stadium’s car park
Pictured: The ill-fated AugustaWestland AW169 is pictured landing on the pitch at the King Power ground before it crashed
Popular Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha started with a duty free shop in 1989 and will always be the owner that guided club to title
By Nathan Salt for MailOnline
A helicopter belonging to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was engulfed in flames after taking off from the King Power Stadium following his side’s 1-1 draw with West Ham.
Srivaddhanaprabha usually departs the King Power inside his private helicopter after home games alongside other members of the club’s hierarchy.
Here, Sportsmail profiles Srivaddhanaprabha’s success in and out of football, including how he helped Leicester win the Premier League title in 2016.
He is fifth on the Thailand richlist of billionaires and is said to be worth close to £4billion
Srivaddhanaprabha was born in Bangkok on April 4, 1958 to a Thai Chinese family.
The Thai billionaire Srivaddhanaprabha kick-started his business journey by opening a duty free shop back in Bangkok in 1989 at the age of 31.
His retail company, King Power, is now a staple of the country’s airports and the brand also have the naming rights to Leicester City’s stadium.
Having been the club’s primary shirt sponsor for the three previous seasons, he wanted to step up his involvement and opted to go all in and become owner.
Buying the club for a reported £39million in 2010 proved a shrewd investment as he oversaw a meteoric rise which saw the Foxes historically win the Premier League title in 2015-16.
When he took over, the club had just earned promotion from League One, the third tier in the English football pyramid, and with Nigel Pearson trusted to remain in charge, the Foxes were quickly back in the Premier League.
According to Forbes, the Midlands club is now valued at £371m after becoming a staple of the top half in the league under Srivaddhanaprabha’s reign.
Ranked as fifth on Forbes’ Thailand rich list, Srivaddhanaprabha has built his empire up to a staggering $4.9billion (£3.8bn).
Sportsmail profiles the career of Leicester City’s Thai owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
After enjoying rich success with Leicester – which saw them defy all the odds in reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League, Srivaddhanaprabha bought Belgian club OH Leuven in May 2017.
The club reside in the Brlgian second division but could act as a real beneficiary for young players at Leicester in the future.
Srivaddhanaprabha is a keen football supporter and has continued to put money into the Foxes with his son Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha involved as club vice-chairman.
He is married to Aimon Srivaddhanaprabha, and has four children Voramas, Apichet, Arunroong, and Aiyawatt.
He is popular among players and is regularly in attendance for matches at the King Power