Supreme Court upholds verdict against bomb plot gang member
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a prison term of four years for a woman who was found guilty of involvement in a bomb attack at a political party headquarters in 2010.
The Court did not believe the defence of Warisareeya Boonsom, 49, who said she was not involved in the attack at the back of Bhum Jai Thai Party offices on Phaholyothin Road in June, 2010.
The Court believed the testimonies from the other defendants who said they assembled the bomb used in the attack at Warisareeya’s house. She was the only defendant who appealed to the Supreme Court; the others accepted the Appeal Court’s verdicts.
The attack took place when the Bhum Jai Thai Party was a coalition partner in the government of then prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. All the defendants were members of the then anti-government movement known as red shirts.
A defendant, Anek Singkhuntot, pushed a fruit cart in which an explosive was hidden to the party headquarters in Chatuchak district. The bomb exploded and the impact of the blast cost Anek his sight. The party’s buildings and vehicles parked nearby were also damaged.
The Criminal Court found four defendants except Warisareeya guilty of the charges and sentenced them to 10 years in prison. However their prison terms were reduced as the court found that their testimony was useful to the investigation.
The Appeal Court, however, changed the verdict for the woman after finding that she phoned other defendants to check on the attack. It sentenced each defendant to six years in jail, reduced to four years.