Drunk student who killed three cyclists given a 2 year sentence

[LindsayBKK]

If I drove drunk and killed 3 cyclists I would not get 2 years in jail.

Sounds like a No money Transaction was made to reduce her charges ?

Edited June 1, 2016 by LindsayBKK

[gchurch259]

When I entered Law School the Dean explained the whole legal system in one sentence; " If you want the Law you go to Court House, if you want Justice you go to a Whore House" !!

4 million in compensation works out to 44.4 years of earning at 300THB a day six days a week. So Momy or Dady do not have to work any more, but Human life should be worth more.

In most countries Voluntary Manslaughter will get you 5 to 10 in the slammer, per death !!

[gchurch259]

It is a strange legal system, a few years back I read about an elderly gentleman getting 10 years for selling "Knock-off CD's", do not know if he actually served or not.

It is nice on TV you're damned if you do and you're damned if you send drunk drivers that case manslaughter to Jail.

She is hardly a poor peasant and is at least a warning to others that drunk driving is not an acceptable thing anymore in Thailand.

The judge by his action has pushed for at least a jail term for the richest violators by setting a new precedent of jail terms for offenders.

The fact is if anyone can not see this, most important judgment, then maybe they can not see the end of their nose and think they are still "back Home".

Sentences should be hard but unlike your way of thinking they should be realistic. Right now it depends on who you are which could give the death penalty or a slap on the wrist. I suggest you get a bit of sense before operating your keyboard.

There have been a number of cases were the person killed others in their car yet have had no real sentence passed down whilst others have done nothing in real terms and been given jail time. If you can justify it please post the justification if not dont bother posting

[paddyjoe41]

Just to put the record straight these bikers were on the bike lane when she either fell asleep or veered off into the bike lane and killed the three bikers and hospitalised the remainder of the group.I live very close to where this accident occured.When i arrived on the scene she was trapped by one leg under the roof of the car which had overturned on impact.She was crying in pain but without a doubt she was DRUNK.I have a video of the aftermat of the scene with her still sitting there crying.She was on her way home after being out drinking from the night before,a student with daddys car,she lives not far from the scene of the accident,Thailand all over if you have money dont worry.

[me in BKK]

it is not funny anymore hearing again and again how those rich kids get away with murder!! TIT

[pkspeaker]

You wouldn't be saying that if you had done even a month in a Thai prison, 2 years in a Thai prison is hell and alot of ya'll would be contemplating suicide after the 1st week if you were doing a 2 year stint.

Complete joke the justices system in Thailand ..

[bbbbooboo]

hmmmmm.....well this will certainly teach her a lesson

[oldlakey]

Happens all over the world, sadly !

The death of cyclists certainly, I have no comment to make on the rest of the subsequent proceedings

This is because I got out of bed this morning fully intending not to go out of my way to upset any apologists

[Veeke]

Complete joke the justices system in Thailand ..

Maybe the court appreciates the murder of 3 innocent cyclists (cycle is obviously poorer than a Toyota sedan) as part of rich kids' fun - and she has all the time to get bail or a complete quash of the current verdict!

[DUNROAMIN]

Nothing new here, same - same everywhere in the world. Money talks. Hire a fancy Lawyer and you will just about get away with anything. If your a nobody you'll get the full force of the law and do the time.

[mikosan]

Pretty little hi-so kid. I bet the bull dykes are just licking their lips awaiting her arrival in prison. Shame she'll never get to see the inside of a jail cell.

[pkspeaker]

Bike lane? I don't see bike lanes in Thailand, I see a soulder where motorbikes travel. the reality is that if you are a bicycle rider using anything but those bike only lanes in the parks, like that one near the airport, you are taking serious risks, the risks are so high the the traffic police in this country have advised people not to engage in this sport. The roads here are not designed for it, there are too many cars.. I have seen these cyclists myself when I am driving and it is not safe, the riders know how dangerous it is and they make a decision to engage in this activity against the traffic police's recommendation.. at 6.15AM ANYONE could doze a bit, and veer into that shoulder, it has certainly happened to me and i am never driving drunk..

IMO this girl made a mistake but I see no reason for jail time in a harsh Thai prison that is designed for people who engaged in malicious crimes, she did noty have malicious intent like a rapist or an armed robber..

oh and BTW a 'farang' who gets into a bar fight and injures the other guy and gets thrown in jail..what does he do? he bitches and whines about how harsh the prison is here and that Thailand does not respect his 'human rights' "whaa! get me outa here get me outa here!! I'll pay ANYTHING just get me outa here!!" ya'll don't like the system here follow the signs to the airport and take off..

oh and i love the way ya'll bitch about the hi-so privilidges, I don't exactly see you living in abject poverty in one of the many shanty town accommodations here, you bitch about those people too because they short changed you by 10Baht when you used a motorbike taxi..

Just to put the record straight these bikers were on the bike lane when she either fell asleep or veered off into the bike lane and killed the three bikers and hospitalised the remainder of the group.I live very close to where this accident occured.When i arrived on the scene she was trapped by one leg under the roof of the car which had overturned on impact.She was crying in pain but without a doubt she was DRUNK.I have a video of the aftermat of the scene with her still sitting there crying.She was on her way home after being out drinking from the night before,a student with daddys car,she lives not far from the scene of the accident,Thailand all over if you have money dont worry.

Edited June 1, 2016 by pkspeaker

[Bob12345]

She got 4 years for negligent driving, causing damage, and drunk driving.

To me that seems pretty fair and in line with what I would expect to happen in a civilized western country.

But there are some things I have more trouble understanding:

1. why wasn't she charged for causing death to 3 people? That should have resulted in some harsher penalty. I would love to hear what the prosecutor has to say about this, like it is not that you can forget charging her for something so obvious.

2. why are they still halving someone's sentence if they admit to the charges? I mentioned this before in another thread: to me it makes no sense to do this in cases where the evidence is obvious. The idea to give someone a lesser punishment when they confess is to make sure they are convicted because the current evidence might not hold up in court. Instead of having a 50/50 chance of a harsh penalty or walking out free, both prosecutor and defendant settle on having a 100% surety with lesser punishment. The evidence is pretty clear now, so the fact that she admits is worth nothing (although it can be seen as evidence she understands what she did and regrets it).

Edited June 1, 2016 by Bob12345

[mike324]

" secretary-general of No Drink Driving Foundation, admitted that he was surprised by the court’s refusal to suspend the jailterm for the defendant despite the fact that she is a student, noting that in most previous cases of fatal road accidents the court usually suspended the jailterm."

How can even a secretary-general of a No Drink Driving Foundation, the very foundation who is campaigning against no drunk driving not expect full extent of the law to be applied? I bet even the girls family and lawyers were surprise the jail sentence was not suspended after paying millions and admitting to the crime. Seems like justice has been serve, now the question is will the girl actually report to jail or will she try to drag the case on with appeals.

[tomacht8]

Hard to understand.
The court initially handed down a four years jail term.
Then the court halved the sentence for her useful testimony without any suspension of the imprisonment.
And now?
She appeal against her conviction and getting bail?
Defacto no punishment takes place.
Why they do not keep the convicts in prison?
They can apply out of prison for appeal.
Otherwise, the whole of the first trial is useless.

[Chris Lawrence]

Why has the newspaper (first post) misspelt her surname? It is spelt Jairuean, when you do a search on this name history comes up, but when you use the current surname nothing? Why did the insurance pay out money when the person charged was charged for drink driving? Sounds as though some get wings in these motor accidents when people are killed.

[Doc46]

What in the name of Satan ,,,They only have Kangaroo courts here,,,It would be Laughable if it wasn't so Serious,,You kill 3 people Drunk Driving you go to Jail 15 years ,,No parole,, No matter if you Rich or poor.

[Si Thea01]

The headlines are a little confusing, one mentions negligent driving causing damage, another drunk driving causing death. Now, is the difference in reporting caused through translating or just downright poor reporting? Given she killed three people whilst drivng a vehicle under the influence, i find it unusual that she was not charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, of which there is such a charge under Thai law.

Unless it was a deliberate act, which is highly unlikely, then given that she has been sentenced to 4 years reduced to 2 years because of co-operation, it would appear that she was charged with the latter, (DDCD) which is consistant with being charged with either vehicular homicide or negligent drivng occasioning death, as would occur in most western countries. The sentence is also consistent with western sentencing procedures, as those convicted in the west also get certain discounts for co-operation and no prior convictions.

I know it appears lenient, as three people were killed, but that's the law, not only here but in many western countries, so one should not let emotion get in the way of understanding thus giving rise to the criticism of Thai law. It is not murder. It may not be right to many, however, no matter how critical we can be, it ain't gong to change anything, at least probably not in the lifetime of those being critical. The best we can do is now sit back and wait the results of the appeal, if it is granted. Then maybe, if it is a poor decision, any criticism may well be justified.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Si Thea01

[MockingJay]

Wow, 8 months prison per killed person - sounds completely justified... This justice system is a f$#@$@ joke!!! How much time did the old couple do for picking mushrooms in the national park? F me sideways!!!!!!!!!

[lhvdberg]

My cousin was killed in an accident in Holland. Drunk driving.... aaah so what? The man who did came to apologize and after a couple of months he argued that the family should get over it and go on with their life. No compensation no jail time. We can complain here about justice in Thailand but maybe we should look at our own countries, is it any better there?

On topic. I would say give her jail for 2 years for every person she killed. But ok I am not a judge.

[exalll]

Happens all over the world, sadly !

Are you sure? I thought it was only in Thailand that motorists hit cyclists

[stingray]

cyclists are not valued as human beings like motorists. This is a world-wide issue.

Ironically, the cyclist usually owns a car and makes good money at work. sure, SE Asia might not fit this generalization.

Some bikes are now 10,000 USD.....

But we are pests of the road, getting in the way of society, trying to improve our health and enjoy the scenery while drivers usually hate us. You ride in a pack!!! they yell, while the driver goes 100 in a 50 speed limit, while texting and sometimes smoking/drinking. they use their power over us, able to kill us at any moment.....bullying, which sometimes results in death.

i say 20-years per death, but that's just me....

10'000 USD for a bicycle? For that money can buy a motorbike or a car.

The safety of the bikes are now controlled by the government over here. In my home country (Switzerland), every bike must have a dynamo and lights (front and rearside). They even had license plates and paid a yearly fee for the road tax, otherwise it was not allowed to drive on public road.

Edited June 1, 2016 by stingray

[ZAKY]

She is very beautiful !

[robertthebruce]

She is very beautiful !

x

Outside maybe ....but inside far from it......

Total injustice....

Next stop Temple, to wipe the slate clean.....

[Stevemercer]

The Thailand justice system is to be commended (assuming she does the 2 years jail time). In most western countries motorists killing cyclists get off with a fine.

[TEFLKrabi]

Guys, get over it. She's been sent to jail for two years. She hasn't paid her way out. Yes, it should be longer but it's better than getting away with it.

[suzannegoh]

10'000 USD for a bicycle? For that money can buy a motorbike or a car.

The safety of the bikes are now controlled by the government over here. In my home country (Switzerland), every bike must have a dynamo and lights (front and rearside). They even had license plates and paid a yearly fee for the road tax, otherwise it was not allowed to drive on public road.

Bicycles with similar specs to those used with in the Tour de France typically cost about that much if bought at retail and usually people buy them for sport rather than for utility. From photos published after the accident, it looked as if the cyclists that were killed were riding fairly serious road bikes, perhaps not ones that would cost $10K but these weren't guys who were out cycling because they couldn't afford a car.

[SOTIRIOS]

...welcome to the land of pathetic scum....

...what do you think the sentence would have been if it was a foreigner....???

[razer]

AND ... what happened to the little rich kid who had no license and killed, I forget how many people, in a van? ... sentenced to community service which she didn't do... What is she up to know?

[KilgoreTrout]

she is young and attractive and rich. must have given the judges hardons.

K