Thai court jails ex-cop for murder of Canadian tourist


Leo Del Pinto, file photo

BANGKOK, August 20, 2013 (AFP) - A Thai court on Tuesday sentenced a former policeman to nearly four decades in jail for shooting dead a Canadian tourist during a scuffle in a sleepy northern resort town.

Uthai Dechawiwat, who pleaded guilty to the killing of Leo Del Pinto, 25, in January 2008, was handed a 37-and-a-half year prison term -- reduced from life -- by a court in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

Del Pinto was shot dead and his girlfriend Carly Reisig, 24, was hospitalised with a bullet wound after the policeman tried to break up an argument between the couple outside a restaurant in Pai town in Mae Hong Son province.

Soon after the incident Uthai was charged with Del Pinto's murder and the attempted murder of Reisig.

"The court ruled him guilty as charged and sentence him (to) life imprisonment," a court official told AFP, adding his guilty plea resulted in a reduced sentence.

The official did not provide further details of the proceedings, but reports in the Canadian press said the former policeman changed his plea just weeks before the trial.

The Canadian couple were staying in Pai, a popular area for backpackers.

Local police have said the couple argued after Del Pinto accused Reisig of having an affair with a Thai man.

When the argument among the Canadians and the Thai man turned violent, restaurant workers asked off-duty police sergeant Uthai to intervene.

Uthai's gun went off three times during the scuffle and he initially claimed it was an accident.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-08-20

Well it only took five years for justice. T.I.T

Frikken story changes yet again. That is what, the 7th DIFFERENT version of the event I've seen (at least) since it happened ?

Makes you wonder why he suddenly changed his plea, knowing full well what the resulting sentence would likely be. He must have an "out" set up or something.

The bottom line is he's been jailed for nearly 40 years. Congratulations to his family for working so hard to see this.

Let's just hope he serves every single day.

Hmmm, yes, a numnut with a gun really is bad news for all.

You see one of the reasons not to intervene on anything in Thailand?

Kind of thinking this was a show trial, so to put it all behind us and no more questions asked, hmmm, maybe not, no one will ever know either way.

His gat accidentally went off three times. My man, at least his a bad liar.

You see one of the reasons not to intervene on anything in Thailand?

If you actually read the story you will see that they did not intervene in anything, they were the ones having the argument.

As a poster above said well done to the parents for working hard to see justice done

Well it only took five years for justice. T.I.T

it has taken five years to convict Jodi Arias of murder and she still has not been sentenced. So justice is slow in America as well.

Thank god for the witnesses that had the courage to resist police pressure. How do scum like this get to wear a police uniform?

Now at least the parents can move on and finish their grieving.

The official did not provide further details of the proceedings, but reports in the Canadian press said the former policeman changed his plea just weeks before the trial.

Maybe it had something to do with his arrest for murdering his wife at a later date.

A Thai policeman who gunned down two Canadian backpackers in northern Thailand has killed again. Police Sergeant Uthai Dechawiwat, 39, who killed 25-yr-old backpacker Leo Del Pinto and seriously injured his companion Carly Reisig, has now been accused of clubbing his pregnant teenage bride to death

Hmmm, yes, a numnut with a gun really is bad news for all.

So is a "numnut" with a club. Notice he later clubbed his pregnant wife to death.

On the other hand, a good citizen or police officer with a gun might just save your life.

It's not the weapons, even in the hands of police.

It's about a killer who just happened to be a police officer.

Now at least the parents can move on and finish their grieving.

Ya think??

Are you a parent?

Jailed for 40 years, but will be let out for whatever reason before hand where he will magically disappear. Police look after police.

Hats off to Drummond for keeping this in the public eye. I hope he achieves same re Kirsty Jones.

Does this mean that he wasn't even in jail after murdering his pregnant wife? Out on bail for that? If he ever serves a day in jail I will donate both of my testicles to the pitbull down the lane.

Jailed for 40 years, but will be let out for whatever reason before hand where he will magically disappear. Police look after police.

I have often thought this, but do not have the balls to follow up on it. A big show trial, justice is done for

the sake of the angry foreigners, and then the guy simply walks out the back of the prison in a couple of

months...

Now at least the parents can move on and finish their grieving.

Ya think??

Are you a parent?

Yes I have children.

Thank god for the witnesses that had the courage to resist police pressure. How do scum like this get to wear a police uniform?

Money!!!

Seriously! People pay a lot of money and/or have lofty connections for the opportunity to join the police in Thailand. It's not seen as a job -- it's seen as a business opportunity. That's why they rarely do do any actual police work. Making a contribution to society and believing justice should be served is not what they joined the force for. It's the money!

The bottom line is he's been jailed for nearly 40 years. Congratulations to his family for working so hard to see this.

Let's just hope he serves every single day.

Personally I would pay money to see him in front of a firing squad "when the triggers are being pulled"

The bottom line is he's been jailed for nearly 40 years. Congratulations to his family for working so hard to see this.

Let's just hope he serves every single day.

I hope so too but i hear sentences get reduced a lot in Thai jails on the kings birthday and such so in reality I doubt he will serve half of it.

Please correct me if I am wrong but I often see high sentences and then it gets reduced a lot.

Hmmm, yes, a numnut with a gun really is bad news for all.

YEP - T.I.T. where no one teaches gun safety. The US is rapidly heading in the same direction, as the current generation has no concept of firearm safety and just 40 years ago, it was standard for everyone to learn.

OR from another point of view - Admiral Yamamoto (WWII) "You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."

There are excellent reasons to have the citizenry allowed guns and trained in their use - refer to Switzerland, where every adult male is armed by the government.

I am really glad to hear that some amount of justice has meted out. I have never been to a place where the police are more universally hated than Pai. I had a Thai friend whose bar was broken into and cleaned out overnight, I asked her why she did not report this to the police and she told me if she did she would be shaken down for a pay off. Hopefully the cops up there learn that a uniform is not a license to kill.

This AFP piece ('approved', not written) is bizarre... "Uthai's gun went off three times during the scuffle"?? Sounds like a supernatural occurrence. At the very least, the statement seems to absolve Uthai of full responsibility. Ridiculous. In fact, the way the story is written here, it sounds like Uthai was actually a 'hero' for whom things went wrong ... he was just intervening in a fight among Canadians at the request of restaurant staff and that pesky gun 'went off', (three times no less). [The story is also inconsistent with Reisig's past description of events and the people involved].

Thank god for the witnesses that had the courage to resist police pressure. How do scum like this get to wear a police uniform?

So we have to infer that this was not par for the course in poklice recruitment?

I keep reading about these gun shootings, in the streets of Chiang Mai, Pai, Phuket.

How come there seem to be so many guns around, including this ex-cop. Surely when you hand in your badge, the gun goes with it?

In some ASEAN countries, having a weapon such as this is a serious offence. so what's happened in Thailand that every aggressive driver, ex-cop, anyone, can have a weapon?

Is it legal, is there a licensing system or does it just boil down to T.I.T.?

His farang gf was having an afair with a Thai bloke?? Well, that would be unlikely for a start.....

oh some people arguing

lets take my gun and bang bang bang

problem solved

have a nice meal, please come again