Host of ‘superspreader’ birthday party let off for good behaviour
The Southern Bangkok District Court has sentenced Techin “DJ Matoom” Ployphet to two months in prison and a fine of Bt20,000 for violating the state of emergency.
The court based its verdict on the fact that the accused had been irresponsible and ignored measures put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19. Techin’s birthday party held at a Bangkok hotel on January 9 resulted in at least nine people getting infected.
The court decided to suspend Techin’s sentence because he pleaded guilty, but he is required to report to police every three months for a year and cannot attend any gatherings that violate the Emergency Decree. The accused has three months to pay the fine which has been reduced to Bt10,000.
Techin went to Bangkok’s Mahamek Police Station with his lawyer on Friday after being discharged from hospital. He was interrogated by police for 45 minutes, during which he accepted all accusations. Police then took the matter to court, which issued a verdict later in the day.