‘Joe Ferrari’ to be slapped with more charge over torture killing
Police’s Crime Suppression Division is planning to file a charge under Section 172 of the Organic Act on Anti-Corruption against former Nakhon Sawan Police Station chief, Pol Colonel Thitisan Uthanapol, also known as ‘Joe Ferrari’.
Thitisan has been accused of demanding 2 million baht from two drug suspects before suffocating a male suspect to death with plastic bags on August 5. Thitisan then allegedly ordered the doctor to attribute the death to a drug overdose and told the other suspect to keep quiet before releasing her.
After Thitisan’s arrest on August 26, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) launched a probe into his finances as they believe that Thitisan, also known on social media as “Joe Ferrari” due to his lavish lifestyle as a sport car enthusiast, has become unusually wealthy.
Pol. Col. Anek Taosuphab, deputy chief of crime suppression, said on Wednesday that his bureau is gathering evidence to file the charge under Section 172 against Thitisan, after Nakhon Sawan Provincial Court ruled that the cause of death of the male suspect was suffocation.
“According to the court report, Thitisan and six accomplices have tortured Jiraphong Thanaphat, aged 24 years, and then covered his head with plastic bags for more than six minutes until the victim died,” he said. “Thitisan and his men were investigating the suspect on a drug case before it led to custodial death.”
Section 172 of the Organic Act on Anti-Corruption stipulates that any public official who performs or omits to perform an act in the position or duties or abuses power in the position or duties to cause damages against any person, or performs or omits to perform duties in bad faith, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of one to ten years or to a fine of two thousand Baht to two hundred thousand Baht or to both.
Thitisan is also facing other charges including murder, perjury and violating police discipline.