Red Bull Heir May Face Manslaughter Charge: Bangkok Hit-And-Run Crash

[teatree]

One has to only look to the past to know what the outcome of this incident will be. He will serve no time in jail, probation for a period of time, community service and a hefty payment to the family of the deceased and of course, we can't forget the contribution fine for the BiB benevolent fund. He will most likely have someone stand-in for him to perform the community service as that sort of thing is beneath the hi-so's.

Yes. The only consequence for him will be a loss of face.

[dcsw53]

6 hours to test his blood. Happy I am not cynical otherwise I would be smelling the start of the cover up.

No doubt " valuable lessons" will be learned after the aquital / not eonugh evidence for trial.

[farang000999]

Has anyone driving a Ferrari, which wasn't stolen, ever been convicted of a motor vehicle crime in LOS?

The procedure is to get convicted and then never go to jail.

[tinfoilhat]

This story made it to CNBC front page today. http://www.cnbc.com/id/48895859 . Chalerm seems to have it sized up correctly based on the news. In that it became a "premeditated" murder, attempted murder or certainly manslaughter at the very least - once he decided to keep driving with the motorcycle and the human being attached to the Ferrari and banging around on the asphalt for 3 football fields of city road. This not counting attempting to have a company driver take the fall and the police obstructing justice by shielding the real driver.

For it to be premeditated murder he would have had to plan to kill the officer before he hit him.

From a practical standpoint yes, but not necessarily. If he heard him or knew he was still alive and then continued to drive to get rid of the witness under his car, then you can form premeditation in an instant.

not to bicker semantics because although i am aware that in some US States premeditation can be considered instant, i would suggest deliberation is a better fit in this instance

[tinfoilhat]

"Krating Daeng managing director Worrayuth Yoovidhya may face a charge of manslaughter over the hit-and-run crash that killed a Thong Lor policeman, Deputy Premier Chalerm Yoobamrung and senior police said yesterday."

Chalerm's involvement is obviously designed to reassure the online Thai public that justice will not only be done but be seen to be done. Given his experience in handling cases where sons of influential and wealthy individuals murdered policemen he is an inspired choice.

saw this after my post on the same issue. well put.

i am surprised few have seen fit to comment on this aspect of the issue.

[bendejo]

All this posturing by top cop is just to bring up the price, and maybe a little more for the family of the deceased.

If top cops plays it true blue (don't hold your breath!) then an uncle/aunt/whoever will die in a foreign country, and it would be downright inhumane to not allow the lad to go abroad to attend the funeral. Remember when a corrupt former-PM was allowed to attend the Beijing Olympics in 2008?

Morons with very expensive cars seems to be a prominent subject in the international press these days.

[sysardman]

This article is so full of contradictions it's unbelievable. First it's 50-60 meters that he dragged him along then it's 200. Then they have video footage of him crashing into the rear of the cop then it's no camera at the crash site. Who's proofreading these articles???

Never heard the saying "Lies, damned lies, and statistics", it depends on who's saying it, what is their standpoint, defense or offense etc

Just a note on the 'video', if anybody reads the Thai newspapers they may have seen a couple of stills from a video, the first is of the policeman passing the camera and the second is of the Ferrari passing so I doubt there is actual footage of the crash.

[Pormax]

I think what one should remember is that the headline said 'MAY face manslaughter charges' and' depending on evidence'.

Evidence will disappear - Charges droped to misdemeanor - no jailtime- money talks in Thailand.

Edited September 6, 2012 by Pormax

[BuffaloRescue]

They do that sometimes. Make sure the victim is dead to get out of paying their hospital fees.

[gl555]

I have to say that even though I fully agree with most posters on the sad state of the Thai judiciary, this case has a dimension that goes further than that.

A quick Google News checkup gave me 500+ articles on the subject in international press already. So, assuming this incident gets known outside of Thailand, a power more mighty than any Thai government or BiB will step into force - that is the power of international business and brand value.

Red Bull is a worldwide brand. There's a European ( Austrian ) branch with loads of value invested in the brand. It is promoted by football teams, and a major player on the F1 circuit.

The 'Red Raging Bull' on the logo is - at least until now - a symbol for energy, vitality and ( positive ) power. If the brand is getting associated with an act of ruthless road rage / blatant disrespect of life, I would say the whole RB brand machinery could get in serious trouble.

The behaviour by the managing director ( yes, he is the managing director ! ) doesn't go well with

1) Football = sportsmanship / fair play

2) F1 = driving skills, control, safety

.. I guess you get the point. Just because the BiB might look the other way, international investors/shareholders might not.

and, if the sales of the drink is affected and the European branch is hit, I bet there will be substantial pressure from non-Thai shareholders to remove him asap from anything associated with the brand. If the share value drops shareholders can possibly sue him for their losses.

If the 'Red Raging Bull' instead becomes a symbol for uncontrolled, ruthless road rage, the Yoovidhya family will have to face some very tough choices. It can take decades to repair such brand damage. Value losses would count in billions.

So, to sort this case under 'TiT' I would say is a bit wrong. And it seems that even Chalerm ( our omnipresent superhero-vigilante-wannabe deputy PM ) understands that.

But what do I know...

Kudos to Khun Khamronwit, anyway.

For the first time in ten years I'm seeing the police here doing something seemingly right.

Peace

[ addendum: up until today I used to drink about 8-10 bottles of Red Bull per day - a 20+ year habit of mine - but today I switched to Carabou Daeng. Tastes worse, but feels better... ]

I really doubt international pressure will hurt him in anyway. It's unlikely he can be sued. And even if they did decide to remove him as MD and disassociate Red Bull from him, the billions is still his family's and he gets to walk away a rich man except he can't work in the family business anymore. I doubt he cares. And they have so many diverse non Red Bull holdings anyway.

[JohanV]

I really doubt international pressure will hurt him in anyway. It's unlikely he can be sued. And even if they did decide to remove him as MD and disassociate Red Bull from him, the billions is still his family's and he gets to walk away a rich man except he can't work in the family business anymore. I doubt he cares. And they have so many diverse non Red Bull holdings anyway.

You are probably totally correct concerning his continued life as a wealthy man regardless of his position in RB. The emphasis of my post was on the business repercussions of this all.

Regarding him being sued it all depends on how the brand itself fares, and not the Thai company per se. I think it is fairly logical to conclude that:

1) Both branches of RB ( Thai and Austrian ) shares a common brand. If the value of that brand is taking a hit, it will affect both companies indiscriminately.

2) There must be some written agreement on this brand-sharing between the two companies.

3) Any such agreement worth its ink would include a clause about damage-protection of the shared brand. This clause would state something along the lines of 'any part damaging the brand by criminal conduct etc. will be fully liable to the other part to compensate for any damage occured'. This is business standard procedure.

4) For a world wide company like Red Bull, the brand is extremely valuable. All advertisement, PR and sponsorship ventures are centered around strengthening and shaping the brand. A bad reputation stuck to the brand can cost billions in lost value.

5) The very character of this nasty event is almost the anti-thesis of what Red Bull is trying to make their brand stand for - positive energy. It has the potential to turn the RB symbols upside-down. It's like if a medical company would hire an ear-chewing Mike Tyson to promote their new range of multi-vitamin pills.. .."look at me! I eat them!"

6) If the brand is damaged, there is absolutely no reason why the Austrian company should accept watching their brand value going down the drain without doing anything about it.

So, I would say that he can be sued, and he will be sued if the brand is hurt internationally. You bet.

Now, that's the potential business repercussions.

If we instead focus on what would be a fair punishment for him... ..that's something completely different. I leave that to others to post about.

Ahh.. just as I was typing this, I stumbled into this image.

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/3t2w6

For those who don't know Thai, it says "Guanteen Daeng" ( 'Guanteen' means 'idiot' ), and I guess that's a rather fitting wordplay..

Peace

Edited September 6, 2012 by JohanV

[rbrooks]

We all know what the likely outcome will be for this white, spoon-fed, spoiled Thai HISO. The worst for him maybe is that he will not get a new Ferrari but perhaps be downgraded to a Lexus for punishment.

[catmac]

Some very interesting points, JohanV, re the damage this incident can do to Red Bull's International image. For those who feel sorry for the hurt this may do to the totally innocent Austrian side of RB, well, maybe it will serve as a warning to others not to get involved with the Thai business moguls and their revolting offspring.

[JohanV]

Some very interesting points, JohanV, re the damage this incident can do to Red Bull's International image. For those who feel sorry for the hurt this may do to the totally innocent Austrian side of RB, well, maybe it will serve as a warning to others not to get involved with the Thai business moguls and their revolting offspring.

I wouldn't be too surprised if a notion of exactly this lies behind the quick involvement of DPM Chalerm.

I think Thai business reputation is partly at stake here, just as you point out.

And we all know that

- if some (innocent) people die it's not too much of a problem

- if the environment gets all f***ed up it's not much of a problem

- if the law is blatantly ignored it's not much of a problem

but...

- if business interests are at risk, then it IS much of a problem.

That's just how it works, isn't it ?

[Thai at Heart]

I have to say that even though I fully agree with most posters on the sad state of the Thai judiciary, this case has a dimension that goes further than that.

A quick Google News checkup gave me 500+ articles on the subject in international press already. So, assuming this incident gets known outside of Thailand, a power more mighty than any Thai government or BiB will step into force - that is the power of international business and brand value.

Red Bull is a worldwide brand. There's a European ( Austrian ) branch with loads of value invested in the brand. It is promoted by football teams, and a major player on the F1 circuit.

The 'Red Raging Bull' on the logo is - at least until now - a symbol for energy, vitality and ( positive ) power. If the brand is getting associated with an act of ruthless road rage / blatant disrespect of life, I would say the whole RB brand machinery could get in serious trouble.

The behaviour by the managing director ( yes, he is the managing director ! ) doesn't go well with

1) Football = sportsmanship / fair play

2) F1 = driving skills, control, safety

.. I guess you get the point. Just because the BiB might look the other way, international investors/shareholders might not.

and, if the sales of the drink is affected and the European branch is hit, I bet there will be substantial pressure from non-Thai shareholders to remove him asap from anything associated with the brand. If the share value drops shareholders can possibly sue him for their losses.

If the 'Red Raging Bull' instead becomes a symbol for uncontrolled, ruthless road rage, the Yoovidhya family will have to face some very tough choices. It can take decades to repair such brand damage. Value losses would count in billions.

So, to sort this case under 'TiT' I would say is a bit wrong. And it seems that even Chalerm ( our omnipresent superhero-vigilante-wannabe deputy PM ) understands that.

But what do I know...

Kudos to Khun Khamronwit, anyway.

For the first time in ten years I'm seeing the police here doing something seemingly right.

Peace

[ addendum: up until today I used to drink about 8-10 bottles of Red Bull per day - a 20+ year habit of mine - but today I switched to Carabou Daeng. Tastes worse, but feels better... ]

I really doubt international pressure will hurt him in anyway. It's unlikely he can be sued. And even if they did decide to remove him as MD and disassociate Red Bull from him, the billions is still his family's and he gets to walk away a rich man except he can't work in the family business anymore. I doubt he cares. And they have so many diverse non Red Bull holdings anyway.

Outside Thailand he's a guy in a car accident. 99 percent won't grasp how the rich of Thailand conduct themselves in their gilded bubble that makes them invulnerable to punishment.

[JohanV]

Outside Thailand he's a guy in a car accident. 99 percent won't grasp how the rich of Thailand conduct themselves in their gilded bubble that makes them invulnerable to punishment.

Outside Thailand he's a "Red Bull heir", and pretty much NOT just a guy in a car accident.

Here's one example. There are hundreds more.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/07/world/asia/thailand-red-bull-heir/index.html

[Thai at Heart]

Outside Thailand he's a guy in a car accident. 99 percent won't grasp how the rich of Thailand conduct themselves in their gilded bubble that makes them invulnerable to punishment.

Outside Thailand he's a "Red Bull heir", and pretty much NOT just a guy in a car accident.

Here's one example. There are hundreds more.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/07/world/asia/thailand-red-bull-heir/index.html

And? Will that effect anyone's decision to buy a redbull in the usa tonight?

I hear obama made a speech today, so back to tge real international news.

Edited September 7, 2012 by Thai at Heart

[Curt1591]

In a breaking story, reported by "M-News" and "Post Today", last night, one of the King's motorcycle police was cut off by a pick up, hit some construction materials, fell off the bike and was run over and killed.

It would be interesting to follow these two stories, in parallel, to see how all the concerned parties fare!

[Heng]

Yeah, and poor and downtrodden drivers always stop and remain at the scene. But there's not much feeling of resentment towards those folks, eh?

Why you have inserted a smiley into your post beggars me. This is not a matter of any level of hilarity. At the risk of being accused of being a fully paid up of the English Grammar Gestapo, I think that your sentiments, which will be shared by the vast majority of posters here, would have added emphasis if you completed the first sentence with a question mark. A smiley, in my view, is totally out of order.

Mostly because I just about always do (as per my IM to you), Bagwan.

[Heng]

Outside Thailand he's a guy in a car accident. 99 percent won't grasp how the rich of Thailand conduct themselves in their gilded bubble that makes them invulnerable to punishment.

They just cut out much of the red tape here. Being able to afford an elite legal team (despite guilt), max. number of appeals, etc. vs. the person who can only 'afford' the public defense attorney in other countries isn't so different.

[gemini81]

If the rich kid doesn't do hard time for this, the family of the policeman should treat the father and the son to a dinner: an ice cold plate of revenge.

Shame on his old man for not teaching his little brat the least bit of value for human life other than his own, and to be a coward like a dog with a tail between it's legs.

[Asiantravel]

If the rich kid doesn't do hard time for this, the family of the policeman should treat the father and the son to a dinner: an ice cold plate of revenge.

Shame on his old man for not teaching his little brat the least bit of value for human life other than his own, and to be a coward like a dog with a tail between it's legs.

all the money in the world but a psychopath

[farang000999]

Outside Thailand he's a guy in a car accident. 99 percent won't grasp how the rich of Thailand conduct themselves in their gilded bubble that makes them invulnerable to punishment.

They just cut out much of the red tape here. Being able to afford an elite legal team (despite guilt), max. number of appeals, etc. vs. the person who can only 'afford' the public defense attorney in other countries isn't so different.

What are some examples of high profile Westerners who hit and run and did not go to prison?

[Hugh Jarse]

Whats the latest on this ? Curiously the other (main) post has been closed down!

[smedly]

Yeah, and poor and downtrodden drivers always stop and remain at the scene. But there's not much feeling of resentment towards those folks, eh?

time Thailand started hitting hard at these drivers that leave the scene - mandatory jail sentence if there is a death involved

any other civilised country this idiot would be jailed without question, not sure about the murder charge but most certaintly reckless driving causing death, sad sad state of affairs

[Soutpeel]

Outside Thailand he's a guy in a car accident. 99 percent won't grasp how the rich of Thailand conduct themselves in their gilded bubble that makes them invulnerable to punishment.

They just cut out much of the red tape here. Being able to afford an elite legal team (despite guilt), max. number of appeals, etc. vs. the person who can only 'afford' the public defense attorney in other countries isn't so different.

What are some examples of high profile Westerners who hit and run and did not go to prison?

One of the Kennedy's drove off bridge pished and killed a woman and got a 3 month suspended sentance..

[edwinchester]

Outside Thailand he's a guy in a car accident. 99 percent won't grasp how the rich of Thailand conduct themselves in their gilded bubble that makes them invulnerable to punishment.

They just cut out much of the red tape here. Being able to afford an elite legal team (despite guilt), max. number of appeals, etc. vs. the person who can only 'afford' the public defense attorney in other countries isn't so different.

What are some examples of high profile Westerners who hit and run and did not go to prison?

One of the Kennedy's drove off bridge pished and killed a woman and got a 3 month suspended sentance..

Have you any recent examples? That one happened 43 years ago.

[Curt1591]

One of the Kennedy's drove off bridge pished and killed a woman and got a 3 month suspended sentance..

That was Ted; Ted is dead.

There was lots of public outcry during that incident. And, it hung over him throughout his career.

But, although he left the scene, the circumstances weren't as blatant, or callous, as what happened here.

Since that time, many States have passed mandatory sentences for hit and run. Back in the 60s, these didn't exist.

Edited December 3, 2012 by Curt1591

[Scott]

Please stay on the topic.

[RubbaJohnny]

He may.......and he may not,the very fact it is in dispute differentiates the languid foetid torpor LOS from Austria where you can have an ex Nazi as head of the UN (Kurt Waldheim,lock your daughter in the cellar etc,kidnap a girl for years) and still not over disturb the neighbours from their Gemutlichkeit in Die Gute Alte Zeit

I am led believe from press reports the victims family have taken the blood money,in NY lwayers would have gouged for decades.

What is a more revealing aspect is this wealthy scion was caught bribing a member of the RTP,now while the officer who accepted may have been under diress and from very humble means the person offering the douceur is at large.

Of course anyone who has peeked into a sewer is familiar with the flotsam and jetsam abroad.

Singapore style justice,free press and courts above the stench would be a start but there seems little public clamour for justice just sanook,gadgets and sansara.

I've never seen a country that needed Buddhism more and heeded it less

Perhaps he'll come at Asoke's great karmic wheel back as tyre in his next life and be scraped down Sukhumvit until his ruba burns

Edited December 3, 2012 by RubbaJohnny