The Bangkok South Criminal Court on Monday sentenced 10 former policemen each to 10 years imprisonment for conspiring to falsely accuse four officers of Narcotics Suppression Bureau of drug charges and holding them captive for purposes of coercion and ransom.
Pol Capt Nut Cholnitiwanich is one of 10 former policemen sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Bangkok South Criminal Court on Monday Sept 30 2013 . (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)
The court was told in evidence that on Oct 6-8 2007 the gang members, two of them still at large, told the victims they were wanted on drug charges, abducted them and extorted false confessions from them. They also demanded a ransom of two million baht.
The court convicted Pol Capt Nut Cholnitiwanich, Pol Sgt Maj Manop Maipoka, Pol Sgt Maj Pinij Wongjinda, Pol Sgt Maj Chaowalit Sumon, Pol Sgt Maj Aran Nilpetch, Pol Sgt Maj Nopparat Buana, Pol Sgt Maj Surasak Wichaidit, Pol Sgt Maj Weerasil Suthimek, Pol Sen Sgt Pongpan Panyaroj and Pol Cpl Neramit Jattumit.
Pol Capt Nut, Pol Sgt Maj Chaowalit and Pol Cpl Neramit confessed and their sentences were cut by half. The others who were in court had their jail terms reduced by one-third for providing useful testimony.
The court also ordered the group to together pay 100,000 baht in compensation plus 7.5% interest starting from the day of the crime to each of the victims.
All the convicted men have been dismissed from the police force.