From the Death Sentence to the Dismissal of All Charges: Thai Supreme Court Rules on the Cook and Gerard Narcotics Case

[cncltd1973]

11 hours ago, 2008bangkok said:

Some about turn that, sentenced to death and upheld by courts of appeal. Then completely aqquited.

What that say about the justice system here!!

That they'd rather let the guilty go free than execute 2 white men from countries they are trying to attract tourists from? One less nightmare headline in the international news for Thailand to deal with, if they did go ahead with the executions, but they wouldn't really would they? Better cut them free now with Amnesty and get a good headline for a change, prolly more about timing and optics than anything else

[Hanuman2547]

6 hours ago, BKK4 said:

Do you think others were involved who managed to get away?

Probably two Burmese.  Then fled to Koh Tao but ran into some trouble there and got stitched up by the authorities.  Well, it would be a good script for the RTP to follow and bring closure to their dubious cases.  

[bristolgeoff]

You don,t read stories like that often,everything all dropped and free to go home.lawyers or brown evenlopes  must have being a huge price.A friend was in the bangkok hilton for 15 yrs i think,in the end he got a kings pardon,but he said he never done it too.

        He is out changed his name  and free now,he learn,t fluent thai to read and write during his time inside,but the charges never were dropped

[cTay]

19 hours ago, BKK4 said:

The more I read about this case the more it interests me. It seems there is no end to all the sub-plots and sub-stories. There are some facts for sure but lots of theories.

 

Fact: drugs did wash up on a beach in Rayong. Where did they come from?

 

Fact: there was apparently enough evidence to have them arrested (OK, sometimes not that much is needed here, but still).

 

Fact: all 3 judges in the first court and 3 judges in appeals court found the evidence compelling enough to convict and give them the most severe penalty. Had they gotten life or 50 years that's one thing, but to go from death to nothing is amazing.

 

But someone lost a lot of money and a lot of drugs apparently.

and their life

[Coffeemate]

17 hours ago, katana said:

From the article linked in the OP:
"We [Thailand Bail Legal Services] assisted with their swift deportation, and both Mr. Luke Cook and Mr. Tyler Gerard are now back in their respective home countries – Australia and the United States of America."

 

Dissmissal of all charges, but still deported.  Strange...

Not strange. 

Tyler Gerard - arrested in December 2017 whilst sitting in immigration detention about to be deported for a previous case. 

Luke Cook - arrested in December 2017 also but then had other cases that the Immigration Act applied to. 

Both - massive overstay after years in prison.

[BKK4]

8 hours ago, cTay said:

and their life

Yes that is a good point. Doesn't seem worth it.

[kinyara]

Read this detailed article and let us know what you think. 

 

https://www.andrew-drummond.com/2021/09/20/freed-defendants-in-hells-angel-drug-trial-acquitted/

[BKK4]

21 hours ago, kinyara said:

Read this detailed article and let us know what you think. 

 

https://www.andrew-drummond.com/2021/09/20/freed-defendants-in-hells-angel-drug-trial-acquitted/

The plot thickens...

[balo]

So murderers walk free, great.    Just stay away from Thailand.