Court upholds sentence
The Appeals Court yesterday upheld the six years and eight months jail term for seven subordinates of a former Nakhon Si Thammarat-based border patrol policeman, Pol Captain Nat Chonnitiwanich, for their roles in the October 2007 abduction of three narcot
The lawsuit, which was initially filed against 10 defendants including Nat, claimed that they along with two elusive accomplices had illegally detained Pol Captain Saranyu Surinrang, Pol Corporal Jeerapat Sitthiton, Pol Snr Sgt-Major Sakchai Chidchanchai, and a civilian identified as Akong Meulae over bogus drug charges.
It was alleged that the victims were assaulted until they signed a confession, while Saranyu was made to pay Bt2 million.The primary court in September 2013 initially sentenced the accused to 10 years in jail each and ordered them to pay a total of Bt400,000 plus 7.5 per cent annual interest in compensation to the four victims. Nat and two subordinates saw their sentence reduced to five years due to useful confession, while the other seven saw theirs reduced to six years and eight months. The seven men who had been granted bail, then appealed the ruling for acquittal.
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