Bangkok zebra-crossing killer gets barely 1 year in jail, will appeal
A police lance corporal was sentenced to one year and 15 days in jail on Monday for ramming his Ducati motorbike into a doctor at Bangkok zebra crossing in January.
The Criminal Court found Pol Lance Corporal Norawich Budadok guilty as charged with the killing of Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul at a pedestrian crossing on Phya Thai Road in Ratchathewi district on January 21. Waraluck worked as an ophthalmologist at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine.
The court initially sentenced Norawich to two years and one month in jail and fined him 8,000 baht, but later commuted the sentence by half, bringing it down to one year and 15 days in jail and a fine of 4,000 baht.
The court also ordered the confiscation of his motorbike and ordered the Land Transport Department to revoke his licence because he was a danger to others.
Norawich said he will appeal the ruling and seek bail later in the day.
The police officer was speeding down the road’s right lane on his Ducati big bike when he crashed into Waraluck. The speed he was riding at was clocked at between 108 and 128 kilometres per hour.
Norawich was hit with nine charges when arraigned on February 22, namely:
• Using a motorbike without a licence plate
• Using a motorbike for which annual registration tax has not been paid
• Using a motorbike without a third-party insurance
• Using a motorbike that has no side mirrors
• Failing to ride on the left lane
• Riding without caring about the safety of others
• Failing to observe traffic signs on the road
• Riding a motorbike recklessly and putting people and their property at risk
• Riding a motorbike recklessly and causing another person’s death
Waraluck’s parents have filed a civil lawsuit against the Royal Thai Police and Norawich demanding 72 million baht in compensation for her death.
