Innocent man freed after 80 days due to mistaken identity in Thai drug case

[webfact]

 

An innocent Thai man spent 80 days in jail due to a case of mistaken identity. The 26 year old man, Anucha was released from the Special Bangkok Prison yesterday, following the intervention of Ekaphop Luangprasert and his team from the Saimai Must Survive news page along with the victim’s family. The release came after it was revealed that Anucha had been misidentified in a drug-related case by the police.

 

Anucha’s parents approached the Saimai Must Survive news page for justice on August 10. They reported that their son had been wrongfully arrested on June 13 at an air conditioner shop in Min Buri, Bangkok. The mistaken identity arrest was based on a warrant from Ratchada Criminal Court for failing to report to the court in a drug abuse case. He was then taken to Khok Kham Police Station and later transferred to the Special Bangkok Prison.

 

Despite the man’s parents making several attempts to bail their son, the court denied their requests, citing that the accused absconded for three years and feared he might flee again. 

 

by Nattapong Westwood

Photo courtesy of KhaoSod.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/innocent-man-freed-after-80-days-due-to-mistaken-identity-in-thai-drug-case

 

-- The Thaiger 2023-08-30

 

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[Emdog]

Don't the moronic police, etc take fingerprints, mug shots, etc? Would not be that difficult to compare

I know this isn't the west, but seems he is owed compensation for the 80 days he couldn't work (probably fired from his job), emotional stress on him and family (how could they afford rent/food/etc), and sanctions on the idiots who put him in jail

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Emdog said:

Don't the moronic police, etc take fingerprints, mug shots, etc? Would not be that difficult to compare

I know this isn't the west, but seems he is owed compensation for the 80 days he couldn't work (probably fired from his job), emotional stress on him and family (how could they afford rent/food/etc), and sanctions on the idiots who put him in jail

TiT

[CanadaSam]

I feel in cases like this, all over the world, the Justice Minister, and the Government Prosecution leader, should offer their sincere apologies including kissing the feet of the wrongly accused (along with financial compensation).

[poskat]

"Despite the man’s parents making several attempts to bail their son, the court denied their requests, citing that the accused absconded for three years and feared he might flee again. "

 

so they were in court several times and never asked the court to prove that they had the right man?

[Purdey]

A sad case indeed. I wonder whether he will receive compensation? While I admit mistakes are sometimes made, this looks like outright carelessness.

Looking at other cases of innocent people imprisoned, I noticed a lot, but not exclusively, are in the USA, with its massive number of people in prison, disproportionately men of color. For instance, Richard Phillips spent 46 years behind bars for something he didn't do. An innocent Maurice Hastings spent 38 years in prison. These days, DNA evidence helps, but it takes effort to review these cases.

Even worse, some are executed and found innocent when it is too late. This is one of the reasons I don't think the death penalty is a good idea.

I applaud the Thai authorities for investigating further and releasing Anucha after 80 days as we know it could have been much worse.

[Maybole]

9 hours ago, Purdey said:

A sad case indeed. I wonder whether he will receive compensation? While I admit mistakes are sometimes made, this looks like outright carelessness.

Looking at other cases of innocent people imprisoned, I noticed a lot, but not exclusively, are in the USA, with its massive number of people in prison, disproportionately men of color. For instance, Richard Phillips spent 46 years behind bars for something he didn't do. An innocent Maurice Hastings spent 38 years in prison. These days, DNA evidence helps, but it takes effort to review these cases.

Even worse, some are executed and found innocent when it is too late. This is one of the reasons I don't think the death penalty is a good idea.

I applaud the Thai authorities for investigating further and releasing Anucha after 80 days as we know it could have been much worse.

This is not carelessness. Police all over the word have a mindset that they they are always right and that all of the public are criminals.

[still kicking]

7 minutes ago, Maybole said:

This is not carelessness. Police all over the word have a mindset that they they are always right and that all of the public are criminals.

Are you American by any chance ?

[RobU]

13 hours ago, poskat said:

"Despite the man’s parents making several attempts to bail their son, the court denied their requests, citing that the accused absconded for three years and feared he might flee again. "

 

so they were in court several times and never asked the court to prove that they had the right man?

This is not the west, the burden of proof is not on the courts it was up to the family to prove he was the wrong man.

[brianthainess]

Nice friend who has a nice mother NOT, lets hope this guy can control himself not to take revenge on them.

[Purdey]

10 hours ago, Maybole said:

This is not carelessness. Police all over the word have a mindset that they they are always right and that all of the public are criminals.

Not sure sweeping statements are correct but there seems to be a tendency in the U.S. to put black people in prison. In Thailand it seems to be poor people without good legal representation.