PHETCHABURI - Jail terms and fines imposed by the Region 7 Appeals Court on a former police officer of Pran Buri district and eight other people for illegally hunting in Kaeng Krachan National Park in 2013 have been upheld by the Supreme Court.
The ruling was read out at the Phetchaburi Provincial Court on Tuesday.
In the case, the prosecutors in 2014 filed a lawsuit against nine people, including Pol Lt Col Theerayuth Ketmangmee, a former investigation chief of Pran Buri district police, for hunting in the Kaeng Krachan National Park. They were charged with breaching the Firearms Act, the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act, the National Park Act and the National Forest Act.
They were arrested by park officials led by Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn, the chief of Kaeng Krachan National Park, with a number of weapons, a dead mouse deer and about 100 giant Asian river frogs.
Suchin Kladlam, Atthawut Deeying, Kittipol Sae Lim, Raya Khanong, Nithos Kasemsongkhram, Sanit Amnuaylekha, Somchai Pid-ok, Saichol Kladlam and Pol Lt Col Theerayuth were named the first to ninth defendants in the lawsuit.
The Phetchaburi Provincial Court handed down jail terms and fines on seven of the nine defendants. However, Kittipol, the third defendant, and Theerayuth, the ninth defendant, were acquitted.
The prosecutors appealed.
The Region 7 Appeals Court in the same year altered the lower court's ruling and sentenced Suchin to 10 months in jail and a fine of 250 baht; Atthawat to 13 months in jail; Kittipol to 16 months and a fine of 500 baht; Raya to 19 months and a fine of 250 baht; Nithos to 16 months and a fine of 250 baht; Sanit to 13 months in jail; Somchai to 10 months and a fine of 250 baht; Saichol to 16 months and a fine of 250 baht; and Theerayuth to 10 months in jail.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Appeals Court's ruling.
After the ruling, the nine defendants were taken to the Phetchaburi prison to serve their jail terms.