A man who set a fire in the forest of the Khao Noik-Khao Pradu no hunting area, in Phitsanuloke province, causing damage to about 345.6 hectares of forested land, has been sentenced to four years, without suspension, and fined about 133 million baht by the Phitsanuloke province court.
The verdict, which was originally read on August 22 last year, was only recently made public, after neither the defendant nor the prosecutor appealed the conviction or sentence.
The defendant, whose name was not disclosed, was initially sentenced to eight years in prison, but this was commuted by half after he pleaded guilty.
Although this was the defendant’s first conviction, the court declined to suspend the 4-year sentence on the grounds that his illegal action had caused extensive damage to natural resources.
The court also ordered the defendant and his family to be moved out of the no-hunting area within 30 days of the conclusion of the case.
