Thai child trafficker sentenced to record 374 years in jail

By Nanchanok Wongsamuth

 

A guard holds keys in the long-term sentence zone inside Klong Prem high-security prison in Bangkok, Thailand July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Thai trafficker was sentenced to a record 374 years in jail for child trafficking in a ruling that lawyers say will send a deterrent to other criminals.

 

Yuttana Kodsap, 31, was found guilty of child trafficking for the purpose of pornography after he lured children aged 7-12 to play computer games at his house where he filmed sexual acts with them and sold the videos on a chat app, police said.

 

A court in Thailand's southern province of Phang Nga sentenced him to 374 years in jail for his crimes and ordered him to pay 800,000 Thai baht ($26,000) in compensation to each of the five victims, according to court documents provided to the Thomson Reuters Foundation by the Court of Justice.

 

The case was the second trafficking case in Thailand in which offenders were sentenced to more than 300 years in jail. Last year the criminal court sentenced three men to up to 309 years each for trafficking children for prostitution.

 

In both cases, courts capped the imprisonment period at 50 years in accordance with Thai law.

 

Papop Siamhan, an independent lawyer with expertise in human trafficking, said child prostitution cases resulted in long prison sentences because they often involved several laws and many children.

 

"Long prison sentences will act as a deterrent because people will be afraid to commit such crimes, and it will also result in authorities and judges being more careful when handling such cases," he said. 

 

Earlier this year the United States praised Thailand for sentencing convicted traffickers and complicit officials to significant prison terms in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.

 

Thailand was ranked as a Tier 2 country in the report, meaning it is making significant efforts to combat the crime.

 

Since January this year, courts have handed down 170 prison sentences in trafficking cases of which 74 were sentences of more than 10 years, according to the Court of Justice.

 

Archana Kotecha, Asia region director and head of legal at anti-slavery charity Liberty Shared, said long sentences can be effective deterrents when they are addressed at kingpins in trafficking cases and not low level offenders.

 

But she said this must be accompanied by seizure of assets which should be used to pay compensation to victims.

 

"Deterrence aimed at the freedom and assets of offenders is likely more effective and holistic as it takes into account the need to compensate victims for what they have endured and removes the commercial gain made by the offender," she said.

 

($1 = 30.3100 baht)

 

(Reporting by Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Guilbert, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-18

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Due to the listed reporters I find this story lacking credibility.

But check out the BBC documentary on Iraq sex trafficking by Imams...

38 minutes ago, webfact said:

A Thai trafficker was sentenced to a record 374 years in jail for child trafficking in a ruling that lawyers say will send a deterrent to other criminals.

 

 

38 minutes ago, webfact said:

 Last year the criminal court sentenced three men to up to 309 years each for trafficking children for prostitution.

 

Last year's sentencing of the three men (309 years each), obviously didn't send a deterrent to this evil man, so it's hard to believe it will deter every other sick pervert in future.

6 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

 

Last year's sentencing of the three men (309 years each), obviously didn't send a deterrent to this evil man, so it's hard to believe it will deter every other sick pervert in future.

Overlapping in this case, I would suggest.

 

But every paedo taken off the streets makes for a great day. It's raining and cold where I am at the moment, but I feel happy.

Scumbag, 374 years jail is far too good, do the right thing Thailand... 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

A Thai trafficker was sentenced to a record 374 years in jail for child trafficking in a ruling that lawyers say will send a deterrent to other criminals.

As they already have something called a death sentence and life in prison and that is not working. Then one would assume that this vill only be a deterrent if the person in question would manage to live 374 years.

As we have seen with road carnage,corruption, drinking /driving , etc etc etc .Thailand has it all figured out!!!!

Ridiculous the sentence handed out. No one can serve 374 years, why not just say life imprisonment and never to be pardoned. Yet Mr Hiso in Mercedes Benz kills innocent people gets a small fraction of jail time.

3 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Due to the listed reporters I find this story lacking credibility.

But check out the BBC documentary on Iraq sex trafficking by Imams...

Men who have likely never spent more than 5 minutes engaged in contemplation or prayer. Men who know zero of their creator. 

Let us celebrate this verdict. Anytime one of these bent souls is taken off the streets the world is a better place. Not even his mother is going to miss him. 

That'll teach him.  I bet he'll never do this again when he gets out.

Why not just give a life sentence with no possibility of parole? 

3 minutes ago, mikebell said:

That'll teach him.  I bet he'll never do this again when he gets out.

Who said he's getting out?

Just now, ChipButty said:

Why not just give a life sentence with no possibility of parole? 

That's correct. The years he was given during sentencing mean nothing but figures in the records. The total time in jail is capped to 50 years so, at the age of 31 it is possible that he will still be able to be released in his lifetime.

After credit for good behavior while in prison and a couple of govt sentence reductions/ pardons that the govt hands out like candy each year he be out in 10 to 20 years.

All the sentence reductions/pardons is the reason that even those sentenced to death rarely actually are in Thailand.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In both cases, courts capped the imprisonment period at 50 years in accordance with Thai law.

If the max imprisonment period is 50 years what's the point of any sentencing longer than that??  

4 hours ago, webfact said:

A Thai trafficker was sentenced to a record 374 years in jail for child trafficking

He'll be free by the time he reaches 405 years old!  Surely he should no longer be a danger to anyone by then!

..why bother paying a fine when you get a life sentence, what can they do if you don't..

19 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Why not just give a life sentence with no possibility of parole? 

It makes a mockery of the justice system, but do we really expect anything different.

The best justice system the rich can buy. 

2 hours ago, Matzzon said:

As they already have something called a death sentence and life in prison and that is not working. Then one would assume that this vill only be a deterrent if the person in question would manage to live 374 years.

Actually any sentence over 50 years is pointless and purely symbolic as it is capped to a max of 50 years. However with the offender already 31 yo odds are he will die in prison...hopefully!

22 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Who said he's getting out?

sentence will be capped at 50 years in accordance with the law so he will be 81 if he lasts that long.

4 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Due to the listed reporters I find this story lacking credibility.

But check out the BBC documentary on Iraq sex trafficking by Imams...

Iraq has nothing to do with this story. Perhaps you can post on the Iraqi Visa Forum. Focus.

Call me a cynic, now this unconnected fellow is out of the game, I'm sure someone else is going to pick it up. Maybe some untouchable.  

4 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Due to the listed reporters I find this story lacking credibility.

But check out the BBC documentary on Iraq sex trafficking by Imams...

RE - Due to the listed reporters I find this story lacking credibility.

 

.... not unlike this post ...

Bet he's out on bail pending an appeal!!

Good, though I suspect he'll get out in 200 with good behaviour. 

5 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Due to the listed reporters I find this story lacking credibility.

But check out the BBC documentary on Iraq sex trafficking by Imams...

You seem to be quite interested in child trafficking stories. I guess everyone needs a hobby.

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

Why not just give a life sentence with no possibility of parole? 

In theory ...

 

"Why sentence someone to hundreds or even thousands of years of incarceration when a simple “life without parole” would have the same effect? Sentencing laws vary across the world, but in the United States, the reason people get ordered to serve exceptional amounts of prison time is to acknowledge multiple crimes committed by the same person.

“Each count represents a victim,” says Rob McCallum, Public Information Officer for the Colorado Judicial Branch. McCallum is referring to the sentence handed down to James Eagan Holmes. In July 2012, Holmes opened fire inside an Aurora, Colorado movie theater, killing 12 people and injuring a further 70. Holmes was tried for two counts of murder for every person he killed. (In Colorado, you can be charged with two kinds of first-degree murder: murder “after deliberation,” and murder “with extreme indifference.” Due to the nature of his attack, Holmes was found guilty of both.) In July 2015, Holmes received 12 life sentences, and an additional 3,318 years for other, related crimes. "

 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/whats-the-point-of-sentencing-anyone-to-141000-years-in-prison

 

 

Edited October 18, 20196 yr by Suradit69

5 hours ago, webfact said:

A court in Thailand's southern province of Phang Nga sentenced him to 374 years in jail for his crimes and ordered him to pay 800,000 Thai baht ($26,000) in compensation to each of the five victims, according to court documents provided to the Thomson Reuters Foundation by the Court of Justice.

374 years for the accumulated crimes is fine, capped to 50 years is acceptable as long as parole is ruled out... but 800,000 baht to each of the 5 victims (4 million baht), I'd like to know how that's going to be achieved?

 

2 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

If the max imprisonment period is 50 years what's the point of any sentencing longer than that??  

Because like big multiple exhaust pipes connected to nothing they 'look good' ????