A Bangkok court has sentenced a 23-year-old Bolt driver to one month in prison and fined him 5,000 baht for assaulting a Japanese man following an argument during a journey booked through the ride-hailing application. The prison sentence was suspended for one year.
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The case involved Japanese national Mr Hiroyuki Fukada, who booked a Bolt vehicle from Soi Ratchaprarop 14 to travel to Soi Sukhumvit 45. The vehicle was a grey MG registered in Bangkok.
According to the complaint, traffic was heavily congested when the vehicle reached the area where the incident occurred. The driver instructed the passenger to leave the vehicle at that location.
As Mr Fukada was getting out of the car, the driver allegedly exited the vehicle and physically attacked him. The victim reported being punched in the head several times and sustained injuries as a result.
Mr Fukada subsequently filed a complaint with investigators at Thong Lor Police Station and requested that legal action be pursued until the case reached its conclusion.
On 4 June, senior Metropolitan Police Bureau officers ordered an investigation into the incident. Investigators identified the suspect as 23-year-old Dwit Chusongdej and accelerated efforts to locate him.
The suspect later surrendered to investigators at Thong Lor Police Station. During questioning, he stated that the dispute stemmed from an argument over words exchanged between the two men. He claimed he became angry after being insulted and acted in a fit of rage.
Police charged the suspect with causing bodily harm resulting in physical or mental injury to another person, using a vehicle contrary to its registered classification and driving without a public transport driving licence.
Investigators imposed a 3,000-baht fine for the offences relating to vehicle registration and the lack of a public transport driving licence. The assault charge was then forwarded for prosecution at South Bangkok District Court.
At 9am on 5 June, the court heard the case and found the defendant guilty. The court sentenced him to one month in prison and imposed a fine of 5,000 baht, with the custodial sentence suspended for one year.
Picture courtesy of Thaitabloid
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Thaitabloid 6 June 2026