The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Region 2 has sentenced two army instructors to 15 and 20 years in prison, and their eleven assistants to 10 years each, for their involvement in the death of a conscript.
This is the first case brought under Thailand’s Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act, which was came into force in 2022.
Woraprat Patmasakul, a conscript in the 3rd Infantry Battalion at the Nawamin Camp, 21st Infantry Brigade Queen's Guard in Chon Buri province, was pronounced dead in a hospital in August last year, after suffering broken ribs, punctured lungs, shoulder fractures and spinal injuries.
Investigations revealed that he had been tortured multiple times by the two army instructors, with the assistance of 11 senior conscripts.
The Court found the first instructor, who was the last person with the conscript before he was taken to hospital, guilty of torturing the victim to death and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
The second instructor received a 15-year prison sentence, while the 11 senior conscripts were each sentenced to 10 years.
It is reported that the victim’s mother is dissatisfied with the sentences, saying they do not reflect the value of her son's life. She has vowed to appeal.
