The Supreme Court has upheld the 4-year prison sentence handed down by a lower court to a businessman who, under the influence of methamphetamines, rammed his Mercedes Benz into the rear of another car, causing it to catch fire and killing its 2 student occupants.

In confirming the Appeal Court’s verdict, the Supreme Court rejected a plea for leniency from the defendant, Mr. Jenphob Veeraporn, who claimed he graduated with a Master’s degree from university abroad, was an executive of several companies and had made numerous contributions to society. He also claimed that he entered the monkhood for two months after the fatal accident, which took place on the Pahonyothin highway in Bang Pa-in district of Ayutthaya on March 13^th, 2016.

Veeraporn drove his Mercedes at high speed and rammed into the rear of a Ford car, containing the two students, Mr. Krisana Thavorn and Ms. Thanthapat Horsaengchai. The force of the impact caused the Ford vehicle to catch fire, incinerating both young people.

The court of first instance found Veeraporn guilty of reckless driving and causing the death of others, sentencing him to two years and six months in prison. Prosecutors appealed the sentence in the Appeals Court, which found him guilty of driving under the influence of drug, causing death to other people, and sentenced him to six years, commuted to four years due to his useful testimony.