Molesting Phuket taxi driver gets suspended sentence
The Phuket News

PHUKET: The black taxi driver arrested after subjecting a teenage Chinese tourist to a five-hour ordeal during which he repeatedly molested her, was sentenced to 13 months in prison today, suspended because it was his first conviction.

The judge initially sentenced Paitoon Kruain to 26 months in jail and a fine of B21,000, but both were halved because he had pleaded guilty.

The judge then decided to suspend the sentence because the offences – abduction, molestation and driving under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine, were all first convictions.

The 19-year-old Chinese tourist gave evidence in Paitoon's trail weeks ago, before returning to China.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/molesting-phuket-taxi-driver-gets-suspended-sentence-42211.php?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

-- Phuket News 2013-10-04

That's out of order, I thought Phuket was trying to improve protection for tourists? ( okay I know already ).

Repeated molestation over several hours should never have resulted in a suspended sentence. Quite frankly ridiculous.

"The judge initially sentenced Paitoon Kruain to 26 months in jail and a fine of B21,000, but both were halved because he had pleaded guilty.

The judge then decided to suspend the sentence because the offences abduction, molestation and driving under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine, were all first convictions."

Are you kidding me?

"abduction, molestation and driving under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine. "

The judge should do 26 months for being a moron.

The Chinese embassy will have a s**t fit over this

I've totally run out of words absolute disgrace! This young lady will be scarred for the rest of her life!

The thai justice system is rotting to the core just like their policing and government systems.

I hope that the chinese government protest and threaten to withdraw trade and tourism to the land of lunacy until proper justice is carried out for this poor young lady!

I hope the ambassador from China has very strong words to ridicule this court decision. Just complete nonsense. Unbelievable.

<deleted>.

I think all of the previous members who have posted missed the key words in the report - those words are, "taxi driver."

Total disgrace.

My initial thoughts were to post with a bunch of words that would probably get me a ban from Thaivisa.

Other than that I'm speechless!

Good to see this state of the art tourist court thingy they introduced to protect tourists is working well. A suspended sentence for these offences is a laughing stock and a shambles, beat tourists with a pole and get a 1K fine and 3 months suspended. Kidnapped and sexually assault a tourist get a suspended sentence. It is very very clear these tourist court a in favour of the thai offenders over the tourists.

These bullshite courts are nothing more than a gimmick and sideshow.

I really don't know what to say. Unbelievable.

I am glad I do not live in Phuket.

It's interesting how many of us today think that China could be the one to put Thailand back to order.

I also hope that they would take drastic measures which would wake up this dysfunctional system where money and personal power can beat every legal obstacles.

So what do you have to do as a first offense to loose your liberty ?

Just going to pop out and rob a bank and molest a couple of beauties, will be my first offence so don't expect any problems if they catch me.

What a joke. Where is the justice here?

"The judge then decided to suspend the sentence because the offences – abduction, molestation and driving under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine, were all first convictions"

I didn´t know in Thailand you could get away with abduction, molestation IF it is your first time.

There is only thing we can do. Share this fantastic news to all the newspapers in your country. I am sure when newspapers write about it the thai embassies will pick upp the news and maybe, maybe next time the judge will think twise before deciding to suspend the sentence

I've totally run out of words absolute disgrace! This young lady will be scarred for the rest of her life!

The thai justice system is rotting to the core just like their policing and government systems.

I hope that the chinese government protest and threaten to withdraw trade and tourism to the land of lunacy until proper justice is carried out for this poor young lady!

The taxi driver should have been sent to china ..he would surely have received a death penalty if not life imprisonment

This clearly defines the unique Thainess justice. I wonder about China response?

The question really must be asked - if the same crime was committed, against the same victim, at the same time, but in a different place in Thailand to Phuket - would the sentence would have been the same?

From speaking to friends, who are living in other places in Thailand - the answer is, clearly, NO.

Followed by the usual question to me - "Haven't you got out of there yet?"

^{Truly but truly amazing... !!! If this happened in China the guy would probably be executed ............ 13 months!! but you get 12 years if you dare say anything bad about ..... Ya know ! What a F-----d up Country !}

Currently, China's contribution to the economy of Phuket is immeasurable. This seemingly endless abuse and/or neglect of Chinese nationals in Phuket is surely going to reap reprocussions. Not quite daily, but often, reports of drownings, robberies with increasing levels of violence, and this, a travesty of justice application ultimately points to a total disregard for the welfare of Chinese tourists here in Phuket. Not without irony, they (Chinese) are probably the nation that causes the least problems in Phuket.

I don't wish the tourist business owners any ill will, however I'll confess to being more than a little happy if the Chinese government pulls the rug on any of their nationals visiting Phuket in the foreseeable future.

The Chinese embassy will have a s**t fit over this

Let's hope so. It's a joke and an insult to the poor Chinese lass that endured this outrageous attack.

Just going to pop out and rob a bank and molest a couple of beauties, will be my first offence so don't expect any problems if they catch me.

Yes, seems to apply to murder or manslaughter too. As long as its the first offence of course. Plead guilty and get a reduced sentence suspended or simply leave the country until the statute of limitations has expired.

If a Chinese man had committed these offences against a Thai girl, would the response have been the same?

It's interesting how many of us today think that China could be the one to put Thailand back to order.

I also hope that they would take drastic measures which would wake up this dysfunctional system where money and personal power can beat every legal obstacles.

90% of the future tourist growth will come from from China in the next 5 years. the only country with the volume of people and power to control their people completely is China.

If they tell their people don't go to Thailand they won't. Just wait. If they don't do anything, the Chinese will sort it out themselves.

Good to see this state of the art tourist court thingy they introduced to protect tourists is working well. A suspended sentence for these offences is a laughing stock and a shambles, beat tourists with a pole and get a 1K fine and 3 months suspended. Kidnapped and sexually assault a tourist get a suspended sentence. It is very very clear these tourist court a in favour of the thai offenders over the tourists.

These bullshite courts are nothing more than a gimmick and sideshow.

Agree - but then everything here is a gimmick and a sideshow, smoke and mirrors. Did you expect any difference? The entire justice and law enforcement system here is a joke to non-Thais. Maybe they think its better than the systems in other countries. There doesn't seem to be any mood to reform it.

This perp is a dangerous <deleted>. You and I know the chances of him re-offending are high. Next time maybe he'll get community service on top of the suspended sentence. Scary!

I'm glad I don't live in Phuket, will never visit, and warn all I know not to.

Although I am a cynic and a pessimist, I am still often dumbfounded by what goes on in Phuket. This does not even seem possible, just as though it were a skit for an absurd comedy. I guess that anybody affiliated with the taxi mob in phuket can do anything they like with complete impunity, including kidnapping, rape, assault, robbery, etc etc. Fascinating. I, too, am glad I don't live in phuket, and I doubt that I will visit there again. Unfortunately, they have a never ending supply of fresh meat (gullible tourists), and as long as this condition exists, the thugs and bullies will continue with their antics. It seems they can only be persuaded otherwise by a cessation of funding, or by physical force.

Let this be a warning to all Chinese people.

There is NO LAW in Thailand.

Come here at your peril!

What happened to the false imprisonment and kidnapping charges? In a normal country this guy would have done 10-20 years.

Every bad reported incident like this must cost Phuket a fortune in cancelled bookings. While one man walks away almost scot free many in Phuket will be (invisibly) paying for his wrong doing.

Prisons were made for punishment but also to protect society from people like this