The Appeals Court changed the prison term imposed on a non-commissioned police officer today from just one year and 15 days to ten years and two months for crashing his big bike into an eye doctor while she was using a zebra crossing in Bangkok’s Phaya Thai district in January 2022.
The sentence was then commuted to five years.
Both individuals were injured in the accident, but Dr. Waraluck Supawatjariyakul, who worked at Rajavithi Hospital, died upon arrival at the hospital.
The incident triggered a public uproar, demanding better safety for pedestrians using zebra crossings.
On April 25, 2022, the Criminal Court sentenced Pol Lance Corporal Norawit Buadok, a crowd control officer attached to the Metropolitan Police Bureau, to one year and 15 days without suspension, after finding him guilty of speeding and reckless driving, among other offenses.
The prosecutor appealed the sentence, demanding higher penalties for the defendant, who also appealed for the prison term to be suspended.
The Appeals Court, however, ruled that, because the offenses were committed by a police officer, who is supposed to uphold and enforce the law and ensure public safety, and he violated the law without any regard for public safety, the Criminal Court’s penalties were too lenient and not in proportion with the gravity of the offenses.
