Meth-fuelled driver jailed for four years for fatal 2016 accident

[webfact]

Meth-fuelled driver jailed for four years for fatal 2016 accident

By The Nation

 

 

The Appeals Court on Wednesday upheld a guilty verdict against a driver of a Mercedes Benz who crashed into another vehicle, causing a fire that killed the driver and his girlfriend in 2016.

 

The Appeals Court upheld the ruling of the primary court that found Jenpop Weeraporn, 37, guilty of driving under methamphetamine when his car crashed with a Ford on Phaholyothin road in Moo 8 village in Tambon Chiang Rak Noi in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district on March 13, 2016.

 

The crash caused a fire in the Fiesta, killing the driver, Krissana Thavorn in his 30s and Thanthapat Horsaengchai.

 

The primary court sentenced Jenpop to two years and six months in jail. But relatives of the two victims, who were co-plaintiffs, appealed for a harsher penalty.

 

The Appeals Court initially sentenced Jenpop to six years in jail but commuted it to four years on the grounds that his testimony was useful during the trial. The court ordered him to be jailed immediately.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30369044

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-08

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[geoffbezoz]

Appalling he only got 4 years.  Would have been at least 10 to 15 in many other countries. But then he was a M-B driver so the fact he only got 4 years possibly explains the the Thai grossly unfair judicial system whilst the relatives of the victims have the rest of their lives to live without their loved ones.

 

As for Jenpop's testimony being useful, one can only hazard a guess what info was considered useful !!

[Just1Voice]

High on Meth, kills 2 young students, and will only serve 4 years total. If you have money & connections, life is cheap in Thailand.

 

[OneEyedPie]

Jesus H Christ.  Not a nice photo and no way to die.  

 

RIP to the couple.  

[from the home of CC]

high or drunk, killing someone while driving to me is no different killing them while playing with a pistol except that 2 tons of travelling metal is a lot more dangerous when used intoxicated - 20 yr sentences should be in order.. 

[Briggsy]

19 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

High on Meth, kills 2 young students, and will only serve 4 years total. If you have money & connections, life is cheap in Thailand.

 

This particular chap is from a very, very wealthy family indeed. I am surprised he was even given 4 years with immediate jailing even if it was 3 years too late. I don't expect him to serve those 4 years though. He will probably have it reduced or successfully apply for bail to appeal. Or failing that have a body double serve the sentence for him.

[sammieuk1]

What a shambles this so called justice system is ????

[hellstens]

I hope hi will have a good time in the monkey house. 

[Dexlowe]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

This particular chap is from a very, very wealthy family indeed. I am surprised he was even given 4 years with immediate jailing even if it was 3 years too late. I don't expect him to serve those 4 years though. He will probably have it reduced or successfully apply for bail to appeal. Or failing that have a body double serve the sentence for him.

Don't forget there's the Supreme Court to go through yet. I'll lay odds that this court will suspend the sentence. It's been a regular pattern over the years.

[robblok]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

This particular chap is from a very, very wealthy family indeed. I am surprised he was even given 4 years with immediate jailing even if it was 3 years too late. I don't expect him to serve those 4 years though. He will probably have it reduced or successfully apply for bail to appeal. Or failing that have a body double serve the sentence for him.

You have your suspicious and have reason for it. But I see this as a positive thing that he is jailed now and that his sentence was increased not decreased. So it looks like justice. Lets wait and see what happens. But I understand the scepticism. 

 

Before people said he would not be punished at all and those 2 years sounded like nothing.. now 4 is a lot better and jailed right away.

 

Do you know what court he can go to after this one ?

[Briggsy]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

Do you know what court he can go to after this one ?

Supreme Court. Sometimes cases can be retried in lower courts or bounced back down to look at something again. But generally it is Court of First Instance --> Appeals Court --> Supreme Court.

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Supreme Court. Sometimes cases can be retried in lower courts or bounced back down to look at something again. But generally it is Court of First Instance --> Appeals Court --> Supreme Court.

I have looked in both the bangkokpost and this news article can't find anything about him going to the next court. Does not mean anything of course but would have been nice to know. I hope the media keeps this one under a spotlight. 

[OneEyedPie]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Appeals Court initially sentenced Jenpop to six years in jail but commuted it to four years on the grounds that his testimony was useful during the trial.

What testimony was useful?  I watched two innocents fry in front of my eyes and feel a twinge of guilt.

[Briggsy]

Just now, robblok said:

I have looked in both the bangkokpost and this news article can't find anything about him going to the next court. Does not mean anything of course but would have been nice to know. I hope the media keeps this one under a spotlight. 

He has to petition the Supreme Court to accept his next appeal. It will come. Before that he may appear in the press if he attempts to get bail during the appeal of the latest verdict from the Appeals Court. If he succeeds, he could be on bail, yet convicted, for several years until the Supreme Court rules.

[anchadian]

Comment from Jonathan Head:

 

This still seems a very lenient punishment for a man driving at shockingly fast speeds, under the influence of drugs, killing two students in an appalling accident. Still one of the most shocking things I have seen on Thai roads.

 

[Inn Between]

I was just looking at the the thread about the ex-TAT governor who received 50 years in jail for accepting a bribe to allow a film festival to take place in Thailand, and now I look at this thread about a rich methed-up man who kills other people through his selfish need for pleasure and total disregard for others. The court thinks he only deserved 2-1/2 years for that crime until people were too vocal, then they increase it slightly, yet someone who has committed what I would say is a much less offensive crime has to serve 46 years longer. And let's not forget that the piece of human garbage who was driving the lethal Mercedes will probably do 1/2 that time or be allowed to exit the country before doing any time, which seems to be the preferred way to dole out punishment to the rich criminals of Thailand.  

[Fred white]

4 hours ago, geoffbezoz said:

Appalling he only got 4 years.  Would have been at least 10 to 15 in many other countries. But then he was a M-B driver so the fact he only got 4 years possibly explains the the Thai grossly unfair judicial system whilst the relatives of the victims have the rest of their lives to live without their loved ones.

 

As for Jenpop's testimony being useful, one can only hazard a guess what info was considered useful !!

It came in brown envelopes ????

[PhilAtUbon]

9 hours ago, anchadian said:

Comment from Jonathan Head:

 

This still seems a very lenient punishment for a man driving at shockingly fast speeds, under the influence of drugs, killing two students in an appalling accident. Still one of the most shocking things I have seen on Thai roads.

 

I have a lot of respect for Jonathan Head but haven't found any links to this report.

Any chance you could supply?

[JAG]

11 hours ago, hellstens said:

I hope hi will have a good time in the monkey house. 

He will go to jail - but I doubt that he will actually be locked up with other prisoners. I also suspect the "time served" will be a (very small) fraction of the sentence.

Edited May 8, 2019 by JAG

[Nip]

14 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

High on Meth, kills 2 young students, and will only serve 4 years total. If you have money & connections, life is cheap in Thailand.

 

In reality he will probably serve a year at most if at all. 

[jerojero]

Surprised it was 4 years not probation or other Bs.sentence. We all know the imbalanced application of various laws and transgressions here.

[mr_lob]

Yet the Red Bull scumbag still "can't be located". I think they have only checked under the rug, down the back of the sofa and given up...

[seminomadic]

All this whining about the short sentence and how much longer the sentence would be in a country with less corruption.

 

Thai prisons are infinitely worse than your average Western penitentiary. After 4-6 months this guy's mental state will never be what it once was. Four years in a Thai prison is sufficient punishment since it was not a premeditated murder, as reckless as it may have been. This guy is going to be fcudek up for the rest of his days after that stretch.

[DPKANKAN]

15 hours ago, geoffbezoz said:

Appalling he only got 4 years.  Would have been at least 10 to 15 in many other countries. But then he was a M-B driver so the fact he only got 4 years possibly explains the the Thai grossly unfair judicial system whilst the relatives of the victims have the rest of their lives to live without their loved ones.

 

As for Jenpop's testimony being useful, one can only hazard a guess what info was considered useful !!

Not just any MB driver. Does not his family own the biggest MB dealership or something???!!!

[30la]

Strange! For many months no word of the policeman's murderer! Mr. RED BULL is still free and nobody cares.
It is time for Thai justice to move, as long as there is a chance to condemn it!

[chang1]

23 minutes ago, seminomadic said:

This guy is going to be fcudek up for the rest of his days after that stretch.

Not as <deleted> up as the 2 youngsters he killed who he denied entirely the rest of their days. 

A pleb would probably spend more time in prison just for the drugs offence.

[phantomfiddler]

The really sad fact is that even thought it says in the media he got 4 years in jail, in reality he will probably never serve any time. What one reads in the newspaper is what often not what really happens ????

[gwynt]

17 hours ago, geoffbezoz said:

Appalling he only got 4 years.  Would have been at least 10 to 15 in many other countries. But then he was a M-B driver so the fact he only got 4 years possibly explains the the Thai grossly unfair judicial system whilst the relatives of the victims have the rest of their lives to live without their loved ones.

 

As for Jenpop's testimony being useful, one can only hazard a guess what info was considered useful !!

Plus it took 3years to actually reach that decision, totally unjust.

[MellowYellow101]

Normally I would complain about how 4 years for taking a life is too little, compared to being caught with some illegal substances in Percy amounts, but this guy was also found to be on the ICE.. insane outcome 

[Lucius verus]

Highly likely this creep has already applied for bail again and will get it.

Could be years before Supreme court comes out of its slumber.

If that fails you can always appeal to the Privy council.

He would of left Thailand for London by that stage.

I bet his passport hasn't been flagged.