THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Police arrest Jomsap but friend absconds

Police arrest Jomsap but friend absconds

Police on Saturday morning arrested Jomsap Saenmuangkhot, a former teacher convicted and jailed in a 2005 fatal hit-and-run accident, over an alleged plot to clear her name using a paid scapegoat.

Her friend Suriya Nuancharoen, also wanted in relation to the alleged plot, was absconding but his wife said he would turn himself in in a few days.
On Friday, police obtained arrest warrants from the Nakhon Phanom Provincial Court for Jomsap and Suriya for the alleged plot.
Ten investigators from the Sakon Nakhon police head office arrived at Jomsap’s house in Ban Muang Khai in Sakon Nakhon province’s Khok Srisuphan district at 8am.
Initially, Jomsap did not come out to meet them but her daughter said she was getting dressed. About half an hour later, Jomsap came out to meet police.
She was arrested and taken to Khok Srisuphan Police Station before being transferred to the Nakhon Phanom police head office.
At the same time, another team of police officers from Mukdahan and Cha-uh district police station went to Suriya’s house but did not find him there.
His wife told police that the teacher wanted a few days to prepare himself and he would surrender.
Jomsap was initially convicted and jailed for the road accident that killed Lua Phorbumrung in Nakhon Phanom province on March 11, 2005. She was convicted by the Supreme Court in 2013. When she was released after serving less than two years of her sentence, she publicly claimed that she was innocent.
Her claim gained credence after Sap Wapi came forward to claim responsibility for the accident. The Court of Appeals ordered a review of evidence to determine whether her case should be retried.
The Supreme Court, however, threw out Jomsap’s request for a retrial on November 17 on grounds that the new evidence she had submitted was not convincing although the Justice Ministry pointed out that a new forensic evidence showed Jomsap’s vehicle had never crashed. Instead, the court pointed to the plot to hire Sap to take the blame in place of Jomsap.

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