Thai Wife Given Life Sentence For Murdering British Ex-husband

[sriracha john]

Thais jailed for life in Briton ex-husband murder

PHETCHABURI, Thailand, Sept 6 - A Thai court sentenced a Thai woman and three men to life in jail for killing her British ex-husband, burning his body and burying the remains in the jungle.

The sentence was commuted from death because they had pleaded guilty, judge Sarayuth Busayanawin said.

"The defendants' testimonies were useful to the trial, therefore their sentence has been commuted to life in prison," Sarayuth said.

The court found the ex-wife, Panadda Charnaud, 35, guilty of hiring the three men to kill Toby Charnaud, a former farmer from Chippenham in Wiltshire, at her farm in the Kaeng Krajan National Park, 180 km (110 miles) south of Bangkok in March last year.

The defence lawyer told Reuters all four would appeal.

She wanted sole custody of their son, Daniel, who now lives with his father's family in England, the court said. The Charnaud family lawyer said the motive was to "inherit everything through their son".

Panadda, who reported her ex-husband missing to police in April last year, told the court she took Daniel to a Buddhist temple carnival on the day Boontien Puipong, Chatree Prathum and Pinit Sattabutr beat her ex-husband to death.

They tried to get rid of the body by burning it on 20 kg (44 lb) of charcoal, then buried the remains in the jungle, the judge said.

Charnaud's family became suspicious after Panadda reported their son missing and hired a locally based Scottish private eye to find out what happened to him, British newspapers reported.

The agent checked mobile-phone records and discovered that Charnaud had been at Panadda's house on the day he disappeared.

When police raided the house, two of the killers confessed and led them to where the remains were buried.

Charnaud met and married Panadda, a former Bangkok bargirl, in Thailand in 1997, then sold his farm and bought two bars in the seaside town of Hua Hin, according to British newspapers.

He divorced Pannada because of her gambling debts and gave her a 777,000 baht (11,000 pound) settlement, they said.

- Reuters

[Papa_Lazarou]

"The defence lawyer told Reuters all four would appeal."

On what grounds? They pleaded guilty !

[ashacat]

Glad to hear they got what they deserved. Som nam na.

Edited September 6, 2006 by ashacat

[Vespa]

Thais jailed for life in Briton ex-husband murder

PHETCHABURI, Thailand, Sept 6 - A Thai court sentenced a Thai woman and three men to life in jail for killing her British ex-husband, burning his body and burying the remains in the jungle.

The sentence was commuted from death because they had pleaded guilty, judge Sarayuth Busayanawin said.

"The defendants' testimonies were useful to the trial, therefore their sentence has been commuted to life in prison," Sarayuth said.

The court found the ex-wife, Panadda Charnaud, 35, guilty of hiring the three men to kill Toby Charnaud, a former farmer from Chippenham in Wiltshire, at her farm in the Kaeng Krajan National Park, 180 km (110 miles) south of Bangkok in March last year.

The defence lawyer told Reuters all four would appeal.

She wanted sole custody of their son, Daniel, who now lives with his father's family in England, the court said. The Charnaud family lawyer said the motive was to "inherit everything through their son".

Panadda, who reported her ex-husband missing to police in April last year, told the court she took Daniel to a Buddhist temple carnival on the day Boontien Puipong, Chatree Prathum and Pinit Sattabutr beat her ex-husband to death.

They tried to get rid of the body by burning it on 20 kg (44 lb) of charcoal, then buried the remains in the jungle, the judge said.

Charnaud's family became suspicious after Panadda reported their son missing and hired a locally based Scottish private eye to find out what happened to him, British newspapers reported.

The agent checked mobile-phone records and discovered that Charnaud had been at Panadda's house on the day he disappeared.

When police raided the house, two of the killers confessed and led them to where the remains were buried.

Charnaud met and married Panadda, a former Bangkok bargirl, in Thailand in 1997, then sold his farm and bought two bars in the seaside town of Hua Hin, according to British newspapers.

He divorced Pannada because of her gambling debts and gave her a 777,000 baht (11,000 pound) settlement, they said.

- Reuters

Is the moral of the story , do not marry bar girls ?

[jing jing]

... The sentence was commuted from death because they had pleaded guilty, judge Sarayuth Busayanawin said.

I believe this is the proper way to handle a guilty plea. As despicable as the crime itself was, there is nothing worse in my opinion than an obviously guilty defendant who denies to his dying day having committed any crime at all. There needs to be some incentive for these animals to admit their crime, save society the burden of a trial, and give the family of the victim some "closure."

JMO, of course.

[kmart]

May they rot in hel_l.

[LoveDaBlues]

Thais jailed for life in Briton ex-husband murder

PHETCHABURI, Thailand, Sept 6 - A Thai court sentenced a Thai woman and three men to life in jail for killing her British ex-husband, burning his body and burying the remains in the jungle.

The sentence was commuted from death because they had pleaded guilty, judge Sarayuth Busayanawin said.

"The defendants' testimonies were useful to the trial, therefore their sentence has been commuted to life in prison," Sarayuth said.

The court found the ex-wife, Panadda Charnaud, 35, guilty of hiring the three men to kill Toby Charnaud, a former farmer from Chippenham in Wiltshire, at her farm in the Kaeng Krajan National Park, 180 km (110 miles) south of Bangkok in March last year.

The defence lawyer told Reuters all four would appeal.

She wanted sole custody of their son, Daniel, who now lives with his father's family in England, the court said. The Charnaud family lawyer said the motive was to "inherit everything through their son".

Panadda, who reported her ex-husband missing to police in April last year, told the court she took Daniel to a Buddhist temple carnival on the day Boontien Puipong, Chatree Prathum and Pinit Sattabutr beat her ex-husband to death.

They tried to get rid of the body by burning it on 20 kg (44 lb) of charcoal, then buried the remains in the jungle, the judge said.

Charnaud's family became suspicious after Panadda reported their son missing and hired a locally based Scottish private eye to find out what happened to him, British newspapers reported.

The agent checked mobile-phone records and discovered that Charnaud had been at Panadda's house on the day he disappeared.

When police raided the house, two of the killers confessed and led them to where the remains were buried.

Charnaud met and married Panadda, a former Bangkok bargirl, in Thailand in 1997, then sold his farm and bought two bars in the seaside town of Hua Hin, according to British newspapers.

He divorced Pannada because of her gambling debts and gave her a 777,000 baht (11,000 pound) settlement, they said.

- Reuters

Is the moral of the story , do not marry bar girls ?

Let the flames begin.

[mexxx]

"The defence lawyer told Reuters all four would appeal."

On what grounds? They pleaded guilty !

if they are appealing upon pleading guilty, then the appeal will be against the sentences.

[keda]

Yep, guilty they may be, but according to an earlier report the victim disturbed their beer drinking....this is the sort of mitigation we should start getting used to.

keda

[rio666uk]

Thais jailed for life in Briton ex-husband murder

PHETCHABURI, Thailand, Sept 6 - A Thai court sentenced a Thai woman and three men to life in jail for killing her British ex-husband, burning his body and burying the remains in the jungle.

The sentence was commuted from death because they had pleaded guilty, judge Sarayuth Busayanawin said.

"The defendants' testimonies were useful to the trial, therefore their sentence has been commuted to life in prison," Sarayuth said.

The court found the ex-wife, Panadda Charnaud, 35, guilty of hiring the three men to kill Toby Charnaud, a former farmer from Chippenham in Wiltshire, at her farm in the Kaeng Krajan National Park, 180 km (110 miles) south of Bangkok in March last year.

The defence lawyer told Reuters all four would appeal.

She wanted sole custody of their son, Daniel, who now lives with his father's family in England, the court said. The Charnaud family lawyer said the motive was to "inherit everything through their son".

Panadda, who reported her ex-husband missing to police in April last year, told the court she took Daniel to a Buddhist temple carnival on the day Boontien Puipong, Chatree Prathum and Pinit Sattabutr beat her ex-husband to death.

They tried to get rid of the body by burning it on 20 kg (44 lb) of charcoal, then buried the remains in the jungle, the judge said.

Charnaud's family became suspicious after Panadda reported their son missing and hired a locally based Scottish private eye to find out what happened to him, British newspapers reported.

The agent checked mobile-phone records and discovered that Charnaud had been at Panadda's house on the day he disappeared.

When police raided the house, two of the killers confessed and led them to where the remains were buried.

Charnaud met and married Panadda, a former Bangkok bargirl, in Thailand in 1997, then sold his farm and bought two bars in the seaside town of Hua Hin, according to British newspapers.

He divorced Pannada because of her gambling debts and gave her a 777,000 baht (11,000 pound) settlement, they said.

- Reuters

Is the moral of the story , do not marry bar girls ?

yes mate - thats exactly it - well done son, very observant - you're a credit to the forum

prat

[Jai Dee]

Topic moved to News Forum.

/Moved.

[Jai Dee]

Life sentence for Thai ex-wife of murdered Brit

A former Thai bar girl and three of her relatives were sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the beating death and dismemberment of the woman's British ex-husband, court officials said.

Toby Charnaud was killed last year with clubs and an iron bar after being lured to northern Thailand by Pannada Charnaud Laorueang, the 41-year-old's ex-wife, who had asked him to collect the couple's child.

Charnaud's murderers then cut his body into pieces, which they cooked on a fire and buried throughout Kaeng Kracharn National Park, police said.

Pannada, 35, who was not present at the killing, was given a life sentence along with three family members who carried out the brutal attack, court officials said.

The four had been sentenced to death but had their punishments reduced after testifying in court during their trial.

"The judge found that the four suspects had committed the crime of premeditated murder and concealing the body, but during the hearing they had given some useful information and the court decided to reduce the death sentences to life imprisonment," the verdict said.

Two other suspects were acquitted because of a lack of evidence.

Source: The Nation - 6 September 2006

[Pattaya_Fox]

I wonder what will happen upon appeal......probably a reduced sentence.....and maybe later a pardon? This does tend to happen in Thailand and some people feel that this is to keep the prison popuation numbers in check and thus save the costs of building new prisons and the keep of the prisoners.

Whether the woman was an ex bar girl or not should not even come into the discussion......she was just a greedy ruthless person who it seems had already accepted a settlement from her ex husband, but was prepared to murder for more.

My sympathy lies with the ex husband and his family and but for the family hiring a P I she might have got away with it.

[fourbaht]

Is the moral of the story , do not marry bar girls ?

<deleted>.. where did you find your princess mr MGID.. and why does she stay with you as you are obviously an idiot

[FunkyGuru]

News From BBC

I am impressed by the fact that there is someone punished. Then again, what about the cases where the foreigner is never found?

It's an open fact that so many go missing here in Thailand / Cmodia. Either accidentally or on purpose, for whatever reason, there are people not found in this country.

Yes it is a bit harsh to generalise the moral of the story by saying do not marry a bar girl. Well on the other hand, I haven't seen a single pleasant story about any bar girl marriages. Maybe I just don't know any. Maybe no one would admit to such a thing. Maybe I am too naive.

But of the people that I have known over past few years, the story that begins in some bar in some part of this country, usually does not have any happy ending.

Well I will drink to that tonight and NO I will not be in any bar. I will be at my usual restaurant by the beach watching beautiful sunset. Life is good.

[Thistle]

News From BBC

I am impressed by the fact that there is someone punished. Then again, what about the cases where the foreigner is never found?

It's an open fact that so many go missing here in Thailand / Cmodia. Either accidentally or on purpose, for whatever reason, there are people not found in this country.

Yes it is a bit harsh to generalise the moral of the story by saying do not marry a bar girl. Well on the other hand, I haven't seen a single pleasant story about any bar girl marriages. Maybe I just don't know any. Maybe no one would admit to such a thing. Maybe I am too naive.

But of the people that I have known over past few years, the story that begins in some bar in some part of this country, usually does not have any happy ending.

Well I will drink to that tonight and NO I will not be in any bar. I will be at my usual restaurant by the beach watching beautiful sunset. Life is good.

[Thistle]

To clear up a few facts in this case. Four people initially admitted pre-meditated murder. At the court case, they back tracked on this and one man said he killed Toby as he had disturbed his drinking session, another said he had tried to shoot Toby but it didn't work, a third man said he was there but didn't actually take part in the murder and his ex-wife changed her mind and said she didn't know these men were going to kill Toby but when she got home from a fish eating supper she found what they had done. She said at the trial that she was only guilty of misleading the police and disposing of a body. Luckily for all four, the judge took the initial guilty plea's and so they got the Death Penalty, communted to life. The three men had always blamed her and said she planned and set up the murder. Outside court this disgrace to the Thai people said she deserved 50 years and not a life sentence, presumably hoping it would get cut down over time. She has destroyed so many lives and has put three other men in jail beacuse of her plans. Let us hope on appeal the judge upholds the Life sentence. However, there is a warning with this murder - be very careful who you marry and what their eventual motives are. This case gives a very bad name to the girls of Thailand. R.I.P Toby you were a great man.

[terry57]

Is the moral of the story , do not marry bar girls ?

<deleted>.. where did you find your princess mr MGID.. and why does she stay with you as you are obviously an idiot

cricky's 4 baht,

your getting real wound up there my top friend.

look,

go to the fridge, knock the head of a couple of coldies and chill out a bit fella.

you'll have a <deleted> stroke mate if you dont calm done a tad.

cheers fella

keep up the top posting.

[sriracha john]

Panadda Charnaud, 35, arrives at Phetchaburi Provincial Court, September 6, 2006. A Thai court sentenced the Thai woman and three men to life in jail for killing her British ex-husband, burning his body and burying the remains in the jungle.

REUTERS

[terry57]

i say let the trollup rot in hel_l and her 2 friends.

what goes round, comes round and this is buddhism working at its best.

think about it punters,

if you kill her she gets of easy as she is dead.

this way she suffers a bit.

cheers friends

[moonoi]

This also on the BBC news website. Kind of related in that it mentions this case

Perils fail to deter Thai bride boom

By Jonathan Head

BBC News, Bangkok

The case of Toby Charnaud, the Briton murdered on the orders of his Thai ex-wife, has highlighted the growing number of British men travelling to Thailand to find wives, often arranged over the internet.

The British Embassy in Bangkok is one of the busiest anywhere in the world.

More than 660,000 people from Britain came to Thailand last year, and the Embassy finds itself dealing with those who get into trouble.

It also deals with those who want to get married - it records around 70 couples a week coming in to get marriage documents processed, nearly all of them older British men marrying younger Thai women.

Never mind that the Thai "mail-order bride" has become a subject of ridicule in the UK, parodied in TV comedies like Little Britain and mocked in the tabloid press; never mind a number of recent cases of foreigners in Thailand who were murdered after their marriages to Thai women went wrong.

The number of Thai-British marriages keeps growing, many of them arranged through internet websites, which post pictures and videos of hundreds of would-be Thai brides, from which prospective British husbands can choose a potential partner.

Some of these sites have a dubious reputation but Lawrence Lynch, a British man from Kidderminster, in Worcestershire, is proud of the service he offers through a company called Thai Professional Introductions.

I met him in his office in Bangkok on a Sunday morning - his busiest time, he explained, because the women who want to put their faces on the website are free to come in then.

There were several waiting nervously in his lobby, all young.

They took turns to make themselves up, helped by Mr Lynch's Thai wife Tapanee, and then posed in front of a wall-length photograph of an idyllic Thai beach, complete with plastic palm tree.

His foreign clients pay a lot more - £1,650 (US$3,000) - but for that he offers 12 months membership, unlimited introductions to the women on the site, translation (crucial this, as many of the women speak little English) and help arranging hotels, travel, visas and marriage documents.

He showed me another wall plastered with photographs of satisfied customers and their smiling brides.

"We've arranged around 750 marriages over nine years and I can count the number that have gone wrong on two hands," Mr Lynch told me.

Culture differences

But there are yawning disparities that have to be bridged, in age, language and culture.

Most of the men know little about Thailand, perhaps only what they have experienced on a short holiday.

They are drawn by the prospect of a short and easy courtship with much younger and often strikingly attractive women.

The women seem drawn to the agency by a desire for financial stability and what they believe is a more caring attitude among Western men.

Nui, a 22 year-old hairdresser, was typical of the customers in Mr Lynch's office.

"I think Western men are more kind-hearted." she told me. "I don't want a relationship with a Thai man. They are not responsible in helping with children and they are not faithful."

John, a 43-year-old businessman from East Anglia, told me why he had flown out to Bangkok.

He wanted to meet a woman who was serious about marriage, he said, which is why he was using the agency.

He had been married before and described a number of unhappy relationships back in Britain.

"There's this 'lad' culture with the ladies in UK these days. I don't want to be messed about any more. What I'm looking for is how it used to be in Britain in the 40s and 50s, where the family unit supported each other."

Mr Lynch says he screens the women to make sure none has a background in bar work or prostitution.

The men he has less control over, although he believes most of his clients are sincere.

"Any guy can come out here and meet a girl in a go-go bar, because let's face it, a lot of the men who come to Thailand are sex tourists. But those are the marriages that end in disaster."

Some of the couples end up living in Thailand, like Jim, 58, from Nuneaton, and his wife Prapaporn, 30.

Was the age gap a problem, I asked?

"Not to me it isn't and it doesn't seem to be for her either. The only people who have a problem with it are those who aren't in the same boat."

Most of the couples, though, will end up living in Britain, where, warns Bangkok-based writer Christopher Moore, author of a book about emotional expression in Thailand, the culture and language gap could put severe strains on the relationship.

"All the building blocks of relationships - the idea of family, friends, love, work - are viewed in a very different way in Thailand. So one of the things the man is going to have to deal with is the importance of family to his Thai wife. It may be she will need to come back to Thailand three or four times a year."

John has spent two weeks meeting women on Lawrence Lynch's books but he is taking his time. He has gone back to Britain and plans to return later this year to renew his meetings with the women he liked, to decide if any would make a suitable wife.

Nui is now registered with the agency and must take her chances with the 1,600 other Thai women there looking for husbands. She says she would prefer an age gap of no more than 10 years but may in the end settle for a much older man.

I see the quality of BBC "Journalism" continues to fall implying that most men come here either as sex tourists or to find a thai wife, what a load of b*****ks. You can also see that Mr Lynch seems to imply that Tony Charnauds' marriage failed resulting in his murder because she was an ex-bargirl.........even more b*****ks, as if the same situation couldn't happen if she was a "normal girl" or if it was in Europe or the US or anywhere else for that matter.

Back to the main thread, I hope that the appeal by the defendants fails...but this is Thailand, we can only live in hope

Edited September 7, 2006 by moonoi

[sonnyJ]

I'd juxtapose this with the labor rights for bar girls topic.

We might and we should start a new topic on labor rights in Thailand.

It's the time. Elections and everything. You don't get what you 're promised, strike.

[Loaded]

However, there is a warning with this murder - be very careful who you marry and what their eventual motives are. This case gives a very bad name to the girls of Thailand. R.I.P Toby you were a great man.

Good advice but how many more punters are going to meet their teerak in a bar in Pattaya, believe she's 'different' and marry her after a couple of months.

From the Thai perspective bar girls who marry farang know what they are and they understand their relationship - mia chao (rented wife). These relationships may be happy, last a long time and the farang will believe it's a sincere relationship but to her it's a job that provides security for her, her kids from her Thai husband, her Thai husband (the guy that hangs around and is known as 'pi' or 'brother') and her parents. Not all of course.

[thaimeup]

A retired friend of ours here in Chiang Mai was despatched about seven years ago; a bike rider was waiting for him when he returned to his Hillside condo late one evening and shot him through the chest. Everybody knew that you didn't have to look far to find the party behind Keith Tate's murder. The police, as usual, bumbled through the investigation coming up with nothing, and the killer is still on the loose.

[rcalsop]

Thais jailed for life in Briton ex-husband murder

PHETCHABURI, Thailand, Sept 6 - A Thai court sentenced a Thai woman and three men to life in jail for killing her British ex-husband, burning his body and burying the remains in the jungle.

The sentence was commuted from death because they had pleaded guilty, judge Sarayuth Busayanawin said.

"The defendants' testimonies were useful to the trial, therefore their sentence has been commuted to life in prison," Sarayuth said.

The court found the ex-wife, Panadda Charnaud, 35, guilty of hiring the three men to kill Toby Charnaud, a former farmer from Chippenham in Wiltshire, at her farm in the Kaeng Krajan National Park, 180 km (110 miles) south of Bangkok in March last year.

The defence lawyer told Reuters all four would appeal.

She wanted sole custody of their son, Daniel, who now lives with his father's family in England, the court said. The Charnaud family lawyer said the motive was to "inherit everything through their son".

Panadda, who reported her ex-husband missing to police in April last year, told the court she took Daniel to a Buddhist temple carnival on the day Boontien Puipong, Chatree Prathum and Pinit Sattabutr beat her ex-husband to death.

They tried to get rid of the body by burning it on 20 kg (44 lb) of charcoal, then buried the remains in the jungle, the judge said.

Charnaud's family became suspicious after Panadda reported their son missing and hired a locally based Scottish private eye to find out what happened to him, British newspapers reported.

The agent checked mobile-phone records and discovered that Charnaud had been at Panadda's house on the day he disappeared.

When police raided the house, two of the killers confessed and led them to where the remains were buried.

Charnaud met and married Panadda, a former Bangkok bargirl, in Thailand in 1997, then sold his farm and bought two bars in the seaside town of Hua Hin, according to British newspapers.

He divorced Pannada because of her gambling debts and gave her a 777,000 baht (11,000 pound) settlement, they said.

- Reuters

Is the moral of the story , do not marry bar girls ?

Let the flames begin.

Wrong moral ... check the number of men killed by non bar girls ( this includes the slow and painfull death of gradual extraction of your wallet contents via your testicles through marriage then divorce )..and the moral should be DO NOT MARRY WOMEN .. or may be DO NOT MARRY 5555

Edited September 7, 2006 by rcalsop

[the swagman]

Is the moral of the story , do not marry bar girls ?

<deleted>.. where did you find your princess mr MGID.. and why does she stay with you as you are obviously an idiot

A bit touchy there old sport.

Got an axe to grind? Get it out mate.

[quikia]

A good soul could provide a link to Toby's story..."Rainfall" , I believe?

[Jacqqq]

Well, I actually read somewhere (still looking for the link now) that the ex-Missus was a security guard at a shopping complex when they first met .....

Found the link - actually off the Associated Press : click here please.

Edited September 7, 2006 by Jacqqq

[terry57]

well ,

if you are good enough to marry a bar girl,

your good enough to face the consequences when it all goes to <deleted>.

so stop bloody crying will you,

as this problem is goes back to the 60's when the yanks invaded thailand on r & r.

nothing will change, as lots of guys are just plain stupid when it comes to this subject and for some unknown reason think that its a good punt.

so go get em boy's,

but please dont complain when you get ripped off, murdered, stabbed or possibly get burned in a field and sorry, lets not forget forking out for the poor old sick buffalo.

before you guys crap in your daks trying to scramble to attack me, i must add that some relationships do work.

frigging 1 % if your lucky.

load of bollicks mate.

toby was a top fella, but he rolled the dice and he lost.

end of story.

[Vespa]

well ,

if you are good enough to marry a bar girl,

your good enough to face the consequences when it all goes to <deleted>.

so stop bloody crying will you,

as this problem is goes back to the 60's when the yanks invaded thailand on r & r.

nothing will change, as lots of guys are just plain stupid when it comes to this subject and for some unknown reason think that its a good punt.

so go get em boy's,

but please dont complain when you get ripped off, murdered, stabbed or possibly get burned in a field and sorry, lets not forget forking out for the poor old sick buffalo.

before you guys crap in your daks trying to scramble to attack me, i must add that some relationships do work.

frigging 1 % if your lucky.

load of bollicks mate.

toby was a top fella, but he rolled the dice and he lost.

end of story.

So a fair conclusion to this thread is; " Don't Marry Bar Girls "