TV host ‘Nott’ gets one year suspended jail term in 'kraab rot ku' case
Actor and TV host Akanat “Nott” Ariyaritwikul and his friend were sentenced to a one year suspended jail term on Friday for assaulting a messenger and forcing him to kowtow to his car in a notorious road rage case wildly known with the hashtag “kraab rot ku”.
The Criminal Court found Akanat and his friend, Wittawat Sribunditmongkol, guilty of assaulting and violating the liberty of Kittisak Singto, 25, following a road accident on November 4, last year.
The court initially sentenced Akanat and Wittawat to two years in jail each, but the court commuted the jail term by half because they pleaded guilty.
The court suspended the jail term on the grounds that the two defendants have never been jailed.
They were instead ordered to carry out 24 hours of community service and to report to the authorities four times every three months.
Kittisak’s lawyer, Songkran Atchariyasap, said the co-plaintiff would not appeal against the ruling because Akanat has paid compensation of Bt180,000. Akanat agreed to pay the compensation in an out-of-court settlement reached on May 24.
Thousands of people have watched the video posted online that appears to show Akanat punching Kittisak in the face on a Bangkok street last November 4, allegedly demanding that he apologise for a collision that left the TV star’s Mini Cooper damaged.
Kittisak claimed his motorbike had been knocked off balance by a passing taxi and he struck Akanat’s car. He said he tried to chase the taxi, but then returned to the scene and was assaulted by Akanat, who ordered him to kraab, or show obeisance, to the Mini Cooper.
The words the celebrity used – “kraab rot ku”, or “kneel and wai before my car” – became a popular satirical hashtag on Twitter.
