Thai Court upholds sentence on Dutch child molester

[robblok]

As usual, the hang em high brigade seems to have full confidence in the Thai justice system.

.

I have confidence though i find the sentence a bit high compared to what people get for murder here. Does not mean I find his sentence to high but if you hear about Thais getting out after 7 years for murder this seems a bit high.

There are numerous contradictions to this story in the news. Something seems missing. I wonder if this guy had lots of victims but this was the only kid they could get to testify or something. One source said Interpol tipped off police here. How in the heck would Interpol know about this? Maybe Interpol had info on this guy but it was obtained in a way that couldn't be released publicly but shared with Thai authorities. Extreme speculation but was just reading about how the US has been monitoring phone calls and in bed with the phone companies for decades and used to tip off local police of drug deals and such but police had to come up with their own information (excuse) to stop a car full of drugs or whatever. I guess is was very common back in the 80s. Bottom line the sentence doesn't seem to fit what is typical for this kind of thing given it appears he had no history of this type of thing or any problems with police his entire life (so he claimed to the court).

If you read about a Thai guy getting 25 years for killing both his parents and brother.. this just seems a bit off. Sometimes I think they punish foreigners harsher here as Thais. You read about many murders and stuff and in general they are lower as this sentence.

I don't approve of what the guy has done (if guilty) but in relation to other verdicts its quite harsh and I do feel foreigners get treated harsher at times.

There have been cases too where foreigners are blackmailed with sex charges to pay of money. With a corrupt police anything could happen. Though one would say real proof would make a judge see things differently.

[dotpoom]

I remember one time getting into conversation with a man in a bar a long time ago who had just come out of prison. He brought up the same topic that is being discussed here...how child molesters were treated in prison. I didn't ask him what he was in for himself, I didn't get the chance, he was only too happy to tell (or boast) me himself. He was a petty thief who liked to break into houses. On this occasion he was caught breaking into some houses at Christmas time because he wanted to "knock off" the presents under the trees and the childrens gifts he would give to his own children. I asked him did he think about the children he deprived of their gifts while he was looking at his own children playing with them...."No" he said. You should I said....because that is another form of child abuse. (I wrote a short play about that encounter and it aired on our national TV.

Prisons are full of "hard men" who like talking about what they would do with molesters. They never think about the children they might leave without a parent during a bank robbery gone wrong or the children affected in so many ways by robbing a family out of their savings and many other types of crime. Many crimes against people also affect children. I just watched the big deal about the mascot for the next world cup in Russia...Jeeez I thought....what a great example of getting our priorities wrong. Let's sort out the starving populations (many of them children} in the world first...then we can really enjoy our sports.

[shaurene]

I wish they used the death penalty for these pigs

Death penalty to good and quite, they will suffer more in prison, the guards and the other prisoners will give them hell. Scum of the earth.

[meatboy]

"Willem Gerard Knoppien and Thai accomplice Thanes Bualuang"

Its good to see that the Thai Court has done the wright thing and upheld the sentence.

These sick disturbed animals, have no place in human society as they can not possibly be Human, how many other children did these two dogs victimise before getting caught?

How can a normal thinking human get any pleasure out of victimising an innocent, defenceless child??

If I were the judge, my sentence would be "Give them one hundred lashes of the rattan and then tie them to an ants nest and leave them there to rot".

why do you have to compare these two with dogs,dogs are mans best freind if you dont know.

evil ba----ds,sewage and scum i would call them.

but dont worry they will be well looked after,rice and fish bone every day and plenty of attention

[JohnThailandJohn]

John Thailand, I agree with you.

I find it shocking to see the "hang m' high" comments of many of the posters as they have no clue where they are talking about.

In the case of the Koh Tao murders everyone is convinced the police made lots of blunders and the so called murderers are most likely shapegoats but when it comes to child abuse it is evident the guy who got arrested did it. Of course i am against child abuse but in this case things are not what they seem to. The arrested guy, Mr Willem , indeed 66 now, was involved in a business conflict and had two attempts to kill him shortly before the accusations. A Dvd was made later by his lawyer where the victim denied anything had happened and he was brought to Bangkok and been threatened that he would not see his parents back anymore if he would not cooperate. There was no lawyer present. Sure, Mr Willem is or was a stubborn man who thought there was no problem at all. He got bail and even went to Holland and Cambodia and just came back because he felt all should be cleared. No, he got convicted and the nightmare started. Did he do it or not? I was not there so I do not know. Only thing I know is that in Thailand things are not always what they seem to be so please do not draw your conclusions too fast.

Some people are incredibly stubborn and believe they can get away with anything and this may be the case here but something just doesn't seem right and if the details you just shared are true it is sounding more strange. Sadly when you are accused of being a molester it makes emotions run high and some people only want to direct their anger at somebody and forget about guilt or innocence. These even goes to politicians and law makers. As I was trying to find information on average sentence in the UK I ran across and was reminded of stats regarding molesters re-offending after release from jail. This category of criminals actually have one of the lowest rates of repeat offences compared to other crimes and treatment results are the same if not better than treating drug addicts. Yet the average person believes these people will always re-offend if let lose. No doubt that is the case for some but over 90% of molesters are molesting somebody they know or trust like a family member and not out stalking strangers like a serial killer. Absolutely no excuse or understanding for those who hurt children but the average person really is ignorant of the facts because it is such an emotional reaction we all have to hurting a child.

[SamuiAxe]

Being a Dutchman myself I feel ashamed for this piece of trash! That is, IF he really did it! Let's not forget that he is a Western-guy, not as easy to set up as, ach, let's say Burmese people.. But if indeed guilty then as far as I am concerned he can die in prison......... Of old age What worries me more is that we have to wonder at every sentence whether it was a rightfully conviction or not.. That says a lot about Thai justice, doesn't it?

[JohnThailandJohn]

John Thailand , Agree with you and some other posters that it is much too easy to condemn people without knowing the facts.

In this case it is not what it seems to be but is far more complicated. At the Koh Tao murders everyone is convinced the two suspects got framed. Maybe in this case it could be the same.

It is reported he confessed and because of this, his sentence was reduced from 40 Years to 37 years. I am not sure if he is just appealing the sentence or conviction now. Seems like the conviction based on the appeals court ruling based on them believing the evidence and witness. Either way, it would seem he believed his pleading guilty would have a much different outcome. Especially at his age, 40 or 37 years is really not a different sentence. So, I am wondering what he thought would happen if he pled guilty but more importantly, who or what led him to believe he should plead guilty ... seems clear he was not expecting a 37-year sentence.

[greenchair]

They appear to have his age wrong. I am guessing he is about 66 years old now and around 59 when arrested in 2007. Not sure where the 56 is coming from. Here is a link of his testimony to the court during the trial ... https://sites.google.com/site/willemknoppienbangkok/translations-made-of-court-documents-on-behalf-of-daorit-thongnim/2009-06-04-testimony-wgk-1st-defendant

"Magazines that have pornographic photos of naked boys and were detected in my room at Hua Hin District belonged to my friend who had passed away for 12 years."

[/quote

Another innocent victim, in prison because of poor investigation.

His family should reinvestigate.

[metisdead]

Just a reminder that posts using derogatory nicknames or intentional misspelling of people’s names will be removed. If you don’t want your post to be removed, spell people’s names correctly.

[JohnThailandJohn]

They appear to have his age wrong. I am guessing he is about 66 years old now and around 59 when arrested in 2007. Not sure where the 56 is coming from. Here is a link of his testimony to the court during the trial ... https://sites.google.com/site/willemknoppienbangkok/translations-made-of-court-documents-on-behalf-of-daorit-thongnim/2009-06-04-testimony-wgk-1st-defendant

"Magazines that have pornographic photos of naked boys and were detected in my room at Hua Hin District belonged to my friend who had passed away for 12 years."

Another innocent victim, in prison because of poor investigation.

His family should reinvestigate.

I got to say, the one statement from him about the child porn makes me think he may not be a guy's whose words you can trust and maybe thinks he is smarter than everyone else. Who would keep child porn in the house or be unaware of it for 12 years? Doesn't sound very plausible.

All I know is it just seems to me like something is missing here given the sentence.

[Jack Mountain]

Justice is still free in Thailand but unjustice will costs you ...

[Jungle Jim]

Thousands like him are in Thailand already. A lot more foreigner criminals than you think. Pattaya, Hua Hin, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, are just a few of their lovely hangouts. Until the government does better background checks when entering this will continue.

[xanderbkk]

John Thailand , Agree with you and some other posters that it is much too easy to condemn people without knowing the facts.

In this case it is not what it seems to be but is far more complicated. At the Koh Tao murders everyone is convinced the two suspects got framed. Maybe in this case it could be the same.

It is reported he confessed and because of this, his sentence was reduced from 40 Years to 37 years. I am not sure if he is just appealing the sentence or conviction now. Seems like the conviction based on the appeals court ruling based on them believing the evidence and witness. Either way, it would seem he believed his pleading guilty would have a much different outcome. Especially at his age, 40 or 37 years is really not a different sentence. So, I am wondering what he thought would happen if he pled guilty but more importantly, who or what led him to believe he should plead guilty ... seems clear he was not expecting a 37-year sentence.

No he never confessed that is a misunderstanding for as well at the superior court as yesterday at the surpreme court his lawyers were not informed before so he was on his own and he does not speak much Thai. Believe me or not but this case stinks and sofar all efforts to reopen the case failed.

[Commerce]

I have no idea whether or not this guy is guilty, but if he is then he deserves the time.

However, what is rather odd is the OPs opening line:

"The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a 37-year prison sentence on a 56-year-old Dutch man charged with molesting a 12-year-old boy on grounds that evidence and witness testimony - including the boy and police - was convincing."

The evidence and witness testimony - including the boy and police - was convincing? .... convincing?

Prosecuted on 'convincing' evidence? What ever happened to proof?

Hum?

[thaiman]

John Thailand, I agree with you.

I find it shocking to see the "hang m' high" comments of many of the posters as they have no clue where they are talking about.

Maybe the "hang m high" comments stem from personal incidents.

[Jimbolai]

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I wish they used the death penalty for these pigs alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24>

As long as he is held in a Thai prison for the 37 years the sentence is much better than the death penalty. Make him pay rent for his accommodations, food and uniforms and "protection" to deplete his Dutch pension every month though.

[Mot Dang]

Unless there is a successful appeal at some stage in the future, this man will never see freedom again. It's a stiff sentence and so it should be, with which the courts are sending a message out to these falang bastards. People like him destroy young lives, consenting or not. I doubt he would get the same in Western countries. In Australia now child molesters, rapists, assaults involving the death of a victim etc, only now get a slap over the wrist and a totally unbalanced sentence. And they usually re-offend.

[ianf]

As usual, the hang em high brigade seems to have full confidence in the Thai justice system.

.

I think the hang 'em high brigade have serious psychological problems of their own. Wilhelm Reich had a lot to say about these sad repressed people.

[Doc46]

Finally some justice for the parasites,I hope & pray that they get the same treatment in jail and rot in there.

[spidermike007]

it is always a beautiful thing for the planet, when a creton like this is removed from the streets. I am sure he will treated very warmly in prison. He will get a real sense of what buggering feels like. Hope he never sees the light of day again. The world is full of absolutely gorgeous women. Why do creeps like this need to pick on children?

[strapper1]

I feel that the sentence is to severe, when you consider that far worse crimes sometimes are just a slap on the wrist. There are people who have raped,tortured and murdered that have received less punishment!

[Bluespunk]

it is always a beautiful thing for the planet, when a creton like this is removed from the streets. I am sure he will treated very warmly in prison. He will get a real sense of what buggering feels like. Hope he never sees the light of day again. The world is full of absolutely gorgeous women. Why do creeps like this need to pick on children?

Good chance they were abused as children themselves.

Doesn't for one second justify what they do or did, but often they themselves were once the victim.

Not always though I admit.

Scum exist and need to be kept away from those they prey upon.

[siampolee]

spidermike007

Methinks you got a bit mixed up .

Cretons Now the removal of a ''creton'' would be a deligthful gastronomic experience.

Cretin.

Sadly we associate the pedophile with these unfortunates.Personally I'd rather keep the company of this little soul above than the convicted felon we are discussing

[Willy Eckerslike]

JTJ, I copied this from your earlier post.....# 16

The thing that I find disgusting is the fact that the police did not raid the house whilst the child was in there!!!!!

Posted 2007-12-04 08:42:42

Thai police nab Dutch paedophile suspect

Bangkok - Acting on an Interpol tip-off, Thai police arrested a 60-year-old Dutch national at Hua Hin beach resort on child sex abuse charges, authorities said Monday. Williem Genard Knoppien, 60, was arrested Sunday shortly after police filmed a 12-year-old Thai boy entering and leaving his rented home in Hua Hin, 130 kilometres south of Bangkok.

"We had received a warning from Netherlands Interpol that Knoppien had a child abuse record so we were keeping an eye on him," said Police Colonel Banya Pinsuk, of Thailand's Crimes Against Women and Children unit.

"We asked Knoppien's neighbours to tell us if anything suspicious happened," he added.

On Sunday morning a man on a motorcycle brought a 12-year-old Thai boy to Knoppien's Hua Hin home. Police filmed the boy entering the foreigner's house and leaving one hour later.

Banya said the boy had confessed to having sex with Knoppien for 120 baht, while the man who delivered him on the motorcycle received another 200 baht.

Knoppien, a frequent visitor to Thailand, denied having sex with the child.

[Yann55]

I wish to thank bluespunk, xanderbkk and Johnthailandjohn for bringing in some rational comment in the midst of all these hysterical reactions.

Paedophilia is one issue (along with terrorism) on which rational discussions are almost impossible, and I can only compare it to the 'witch hunts' of the Middle ages, or the way religious matters were handled under the Inquisition.

The 3 of you are trying, courageously, to bring some measure of reason while most of the posts show an appalling lack of judgment, but you also feel the need to almost excuse yourselves for not crying with the wolves. You have to add 'of course I'm not saying that the sentence is too harsh' etc. This says a lot.

My point is that this particular issue goes way beyond the mere notions of justice, morals,and reason. Every society needs to focus on people that everyone can hate so that it makes others feel better somehow. The problem is that it inevitably clouds the justice system and threatens to render it ineffective especially in an age where public opinion and the media work as a tight couple.

About 15 years ago I met a British guy in Pattaya who had just been caught up in a very scary scam. While sitting at the terrace of a bar in Boyz Town, a little kid came to try and sell him chewing gum. He didn't buy any but was naturally nice to the kid, and the kid immediately responded by being extremely cuddly, to the point where the guy felt very uneasy and put off. He soon understood why... 2 mafia type guys had been making polaroid photos from different angles. When he left the bar he was accosted by those 2 guys who showed him the pics and threatened to go to the police, where, they added, the kid would testify that the guy had touched him in an indecent way. They asked for 10 000 bahts right away or else. He got so scared that he went to the nearest ATM, gave them the cash, got the pics and walked away thinking he'd probably just avoided an absolute nightmare.

This kind of scam happens here. And not so infrequently. Many situations are also not that clear. A guy may be attracted to young girls or boys and make one improper gesture, which is wrong, of course, but not deserving of years behind bars.

Why some people feel sexually attracted to kids is scary, for sure, and a mind-boggling mystery for those who don't (thankfully the majority). To go from attraction to action is wrong, there's no denying that, but wanting to burn these guys simply for being what they are is a show of absolute stupidity, lack of civilization and lack of morals too. The extremely violent language and attitude in some of the posts here bring their authors right down to the level of animals, which is exactly how they qualify paedophiles.

OK guys I'm ready for the insults.

[HughJass]

I hate pedos as much as the next man but 37 years is a bit much...I suppose its because hes a farang

the doctor that cut his wife up and flushed her down the toilet was out in 10 years

[JohnThailandJohn]

JTJ, I copied this from your earlier post.....# 16

The thing that I find disgusting is the fact that the police did not raid the house whilst the child was in there!!!!!

Posted 2007-12-04 08:42:42

Thai police nab Dutch paedophile suspect

Bangkok - Acting on an Interpol tip-off, Thai police arrested a 60-year-old Dutch national at Hua Hin beach resort on child sex abuse charges, authorities said Monday. Williem Genard Knoppien, 60, was arrested Sunday shortly after police filmed a 12-year-old Thai boy entering and leaving his rented home in Hua Hin, 130 kilometres south of Bangkok.

"We had received a warning from Netherlands Interpol that Knoppien had a child abuse record so we were keeping an eye on him," said Police Colonel Banya Pinsuk, of Thailand's Crimes Against Women and Children unit.

"We asked Knoppien's neighbours to tell us if anything suspicious happened," he added.

On Sunday morning a man on a motorcycle brought a 12-year-old Thai boy to Knoppien's Hua Hin home. Police filmed the boy entering the foreigner's house and leaving one hour later.

Banya said the boy had confessed to having sex with Knoppien for 120 baht, while the man who delivered him on the motorcycle received another 200 baht.

Knoppien, a frequent visitor to Thailand, denied having sex with the child.

Starting to see why maybe he got the big sentence but still some odd things but this may go along with why he got the long sentence .... I had a link in one my posts to his statement to the court which he says he had no record back home and had lived in Thailand 40 Years.

If he was in Thailand 40 years, interesting they would just then notify Thailand.. Also it would seem he is lying about his history to the court which would seem strange given he would obviously know they knew about his record. Between lies, translations and bad reporting it is just too hard to figure these things out on the sidelines. It is just the sentence that seems off to me in terms of other sentences. I really think cases like this here usually get a 3 to 5 years then deported and black listed but maybe there were other cases in the press around this time and they were trying to send a message. But as somebody pointed out, there is another new news article on TV where a somebody killed their entire family and only got 25 years.

Regardless, sentences are not usually an indication of actually time served here, if you do your time and don't make waves, even these big sentences often result in serving only 7 to 10 years.

[Globeman]

name for them is Rock Spiders and they will get what's coming to them in prison

So you are an advocate of extra-judicial beatings and murders as a form of justice meted out by other convicted criminals?

What other crimes do you believe should be punished in such a manner?

[KOZMO]

"Willem Gerard Knoppien and Thai accomplice Thanes Bualuang"

Its good to see that the Thai Court has done the wright thing and upheld the sentence.

These sick disturbed animals, have no place in human society as they can not possibly be Human, how many other children did these two dogs victimise before getting caught?

How can a normal thinking human get any pleasure out of victimising an innocent, defenceless child??

If I were the judge, my sentence would be "Give them one hundred lashes of the rattan and then tie them to an ants nest and leave them there to rot".

I agree with the punishment but what is the difference of a 60-70 year old going to essan and buying a 14-15 year old girl??? making her his sex slave???

is it the price paid or the fact it was a girl? I'm sure she is just as defensless as the boy!!!

[Keesters]

name for them is Rock Spiders and they will get what's coming to them in prison

So you've been there and done that have you, Mr know-it-all-that-goes-on-in-a-thai-prison