The Criminal Court on Thursday sentenced Monta Yokrattanakan, better known as Ying Kai, to three years in jail for human trafficking and awarded 590,007 baht to a young woman forced to work as her maid.
Monta, 60, was accused of coercing three women into working as her maids from 5am to 10pm, without pay, from June 2006 to Oct 2010. She was also accused of threatening to have police take legal action against one woman's parents if she refused to work for her.
The court found that the three women had worked as Monta's maids, but there was evidence to prove only one of them had been lured into the work. She had claimed to be a khunying who liked to help others and with the claim she convinced the parents to send their daughter to her home.
The court ruled that Monta failed to pay 6,000 baht salary a month to the victim, Kanchana Ponglarpsoonthorn from Mae Hong Son province, and to send her to a nursing school, as promised.
Monta had seized Ms Kanchana's ID card and abused her labour, and was therefore guilty of human trafficking, the court ruled.
It sentenced her to four years in prison, commuted to three because she had cooperated, and ordered her to pay 590,007 baht in compensation to Ms Kanchana.
The court dismissed the accusation of the threat against her parents.
In June the court sentenced Monta to seven years and six months in jail for a violation of Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law.
According to an indictment submitted by the prosecution, Monta claimed she was a khunying, a title bestowed by His Majesty the King, and used it to seek undue favours and benefits, thereby causing damage to the higher institution.
The sentences are cumulative.