Chiang Mai: Sexual Assault Charges Dropped Against Two 19-Year-Old Danes

[webfact]

Chiang Mai sexual assault case: Charges dropped against two 19-year-old Danes
BY ANDERS HOLM NIELSEN

CHIANG MAI: -- The two Danish 19-year-old men who were arrested in Chiang Mai, charged of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old Dutch tourist have now been cleared of all charges and the case has been dropped due to insufficient evidence.

The incident was first reported to police on February 25 by the 23-year-old victim, a Dutch tourist, who came to the police station that morning at 8 a.m., said Pol. Lt. Col. Saipin Tijjarat, the detective officer of Muang Chiang Mai provincial police.

The police arrested the two Danes while they were floating on a raft in the stream to see the scenery in Mawang, Chiang Mai. The men were arrested and taken to the police station, where they denied the accusations.

On February 28, the court decided to release the young Danes on bail, but their passports were confiscated and they could not leave the country.

Pol. Lt. Col. Saipin Tijjarat confirms to ScandAsia that the charges were quietly dropped in April and that the two Danes are free to leave and enter Thailand as they please. She adds that the two Danes are most likely back in Denmark.

Additional reporting by Wachiraporn Janrut

Source: http://scandasia.com/chiang-mai-rape-case-charges-dropped-against-two-19-year-old-danes/

-- ScandAsia 2013-05-02

[rubberduck]

Is the Dutch drunk in jail now for her false declaraton ? Cuz that's a serious crime in Thai. ..

[Locationthailand]

Boy - some justice at last - hope it was without a payoff.

[navara]

They won't return to Thai easy.

[marcusd]

Boy - some justice at last - hope it was without a payoff.

Are you kidding big red? tHIS IS THAILAND everything is a donation for the needy

[monkeycountry]

They won't return to Thai easy.

They have just been forced to stay here for a few months against their will, somehow I don't think they want to come back - ever!

[Regyai]

dropped due to insufficient evidence

Thai Police speak for 'shes gone back to Europe'

[chooka]

They won't return to Thai easy.

They have just been forced to stay here for a few months against their will, somehow I don't think they want to come back - ever!

Probably cost them/families a penny or two also and they probably lost thier jobs back home with being absent so long also. Curious as to why the charges were dropped QUIETLY. A little face saving or the complainant left the country and refused to return to give evidence.

[ajarnpot]

not even sluightly humerous

[johnlandy]

Is the Dutch drunk in jail now for her false declaraton ? Cuz that's a serious crime in Thai. ..

You mean telling lies? If that were the case there would 50 mil inmates by the end of the day.

[Pib]

If this was a Thai newspaper picture the faces of the Danes wouldn't be blurred out...in fact the picture would probably also be showing their passport main page down in the corner.

[SeaVisionBurma]

A bunch of off-topic, flippant and derogatory posts have been removed.

This is a general warning to show some maturity.

Also - use some care when quoting previous posts so that you don't misquote another member.

[thurien]

They won't return to Thai easy.

possibly...but they will take a trip for sure to the Netherlands visit some 'friend'

[saroq]

What a nightmare. Glad it's over for these young guys. Unfortunately an accusation is all that is needed for some cloud of doubt to hang over them. Very unfair.

[MikeThaison]

Is the Dutch drunk in jail now for her false declaraton ? Cuz that's a serious crime in Thai. ..

Where does it say anywhere she made a false declaration? If you slowed down a bit and tried to comprehend the article you would understand the charges were dropped "DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCE"

That doesn't mean the dutch girl was lying or that the Danish guys are innocent, it just means the case has been dropped. If more evidence is somehow produced later, the charges technically can be reinstated.

[louse1953]

Is the Dutch drunk in jail now for her false declaraton ? Cuz that's a serious crime in Thai. ..

They did not say it did not happen,insufficient evidence,ok.

[dighambara]

not even sluightly humerous

??? Double entendre???

Or mispelling..??

[Richie23]

Is the Dutch drunk in jail now for her false declaraton ? Cuz that's a serious crime in Thai. ..

Why do you assume it was a false declaration? It seems the case was dropped due to lack of evidence. Doesn't mean she was lying.

[JO1973]

What a nightmare. Glad it's over for these young guys. Unfortunately an accusation is all that is needed for some cloud of doubt to hang over them. Very unfair.

Exactly -- she goes home but their reputations are trashed here and back home. They should bar that woman from entering Thailand again. What would be even better is if the two guys filed a defamation suit against her here. Sure, it won't affect her if she doesn't come back but at least it will allow for some type of face-saving for them and public shaming of her.

[CBR250]

Is the Dutch drunk in jail now for her false declaraton ? Cuz that's a serious crime in Thai. ..

Why do you assume it was a false declaration? It seems the case was dropped due to lack of evidence. Doesn't mean she was lying.

[CBR250]

Maybe the Dutch girl was lying, or maybe not. But an accusation, if false, does considerable harm to the accused. I don't wish to discourage women from making complaints, but there should be some accountability if it is obvious that accusations are false. Accused men should also not be identified until / unless they are convicted.

[AdamRich]

Were their faces blanked out when they were accused and arrested, as they are now?

[cacruden]

Maybe the Dutch girl was lying, or maybe not. But an accusation, if false, does considerable harm to the accused. I don't wish to discourage women from making complaints, but there should be some accountability if it is obvious that accusations are false. Accused men should also not be identified until / unless they are convicted.

Lots of rapists go free due to lack of evidence (in addition to non-reporting due to social implications).... in fact greater than 90%. I don't think the police here are as professional as in western countries - where they have very strict procedures to collecting evidence (hospital/rape kit etc.), which means unless you have eye witness testimony corroborating the act -- there will not be enough evidence.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Is the Dutch drunk in jail now for her false declaraton ? Cuz that's a serious crime in Thai. ..

They did not say it did not happen,insufficient evidence,ok.

None of us have any way of knowing what did or did not happen here. And I'm not making any assumptions.

But having charges dropped for "insufficient evidence," as others have noted, doesn't mean the rape didn't occur or that these guys were found innocent.\

Maybe they are innocent. But equally possible, the alleged victim in the case may not have wanted to stay in or return to Thailand, leaving the police and court without the main witness in the case.

[fraksken]

I wish this would happen to me ... no more visa runs ...

[techboy]

Is the Dutch drunk in jail now for her false declaraton ? Cuz that's a serious crime in Thai. ..

You mean telling lies? If that were the case there would 50 mil inmates by the end of the day.

And if whimsical slander were a crime I imagine they would throw the key away on you.

[techboy]

Is the Dutch drunk in jail now for her false declaraton ? Cuz that's a serious crime in Thai. ..

They did not say it did not happen,insufficient evidence,ok.

Yeah. That is what I am thinking. Rape is difficult to prove and a lot of bad guys get away with it. Nobody posting in this forum knows the truth but I would not be so quick to indict the lady.

[chooka]

Were their faces blanked out when they were accused and arrested, as they are now?

No they were paraded before the media and for all to see.

[Beetlejuice]

OK, so this means it`s one word against another. It doesn’t prove that the girl was making up this story in an attempt to protect her own reputation, only that there is not enough evidence to support the girl’s allegations of sexual assault against these men.

So this has become a stalemate, right? Wrong.

These guys have had their names and details plastered all over the worldwide media and considering that the case is still open and the guys have not been proved innocent of all charges, means that companies will be reluctant to employ them in the future, there will always be doubts in the minds of family, friends and colleges as to they’re innocence, their careers, good reputations and credibility ruined, while the girl can still enjoy and benefit from her legal right to anonymity and being kept out of the media circus and limelight, whether her allegations were false or not.

What guys should take into consideration is that jailbait does not always pertain to underage and the legal minimum age for having sex.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Beetlejuice

[SeaVisionBurma]

Distasteful and speculative posts removed.

Use some common sense when posting please.