Ex-policeman gets 19-plus years for two shooting sprees
Play
The Criminal Court yesterday sentenced a former crowd-control policeman to 17 years in jail for a drunken shooting spree last year that injured two people and damaged six vehicles.
Thirayu Phetmeekha, 29, a former police lance-corporal, was also given two and a half years in jail for shooting and injuring Kittisak Sriwattanaworachai in another case on August 5, 2006.
Regarding last year’s incident, the court found Thirayu guilty of shooting and injuring Suradet Sukthaworn and Niphaporn Prasertsri on the night of December 23.
Thirayu carried out the shooting spree in the jurisdiction areas of Prachachuen, Sutthisan and Dusit police stations. He was arrested in Songkhla later in December.
He confessed during the investigation and pleaded guilty in court. He said he had got drunk at a restaurant on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok and started the shooting rampage.
The court ruled that witnesses clearly identified Thirayu as the one who committed the crime. It initially sentenced him to 33 years and four months for attempted murder and another year for violating gun-control laws. Since he pleaded guilty, the court reduced the sentence to 17 years and two months plus two and a half years for the 2006 shooting incident.
Thirayu said he would not appeal.
