Police handling the case of Jomsap Saenmuangkhot, a former teacher found guilty in a fatal car crash, have been instructed to take legal action against a group of people who allegedly provided false witnesses and testimonies to support her claim of innocence.
Pol Maj Gen Suwicharn Yankittikul, the Nakhon Phanom police chief, ordered the legal action after the Supreme Court on Friday rejected Jomsap’s petition seeking the revival of the fatal car accident case.
Jomsap was found guilty of recklessly driving a pickup truck that struck a bicycle, killing 75-year-old Lua Pobamrung, in Nakhon Phanom’s Renu Nakhon district on March 11, 2005. She was sentenced to three years and two months in prison by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Following a royal pardon in April 2015 and her release, Ms Jomsap pursued a wrongful conviction case with the Justice Ministry in line with the 1983 Retrial of Criminal Cases Act. The ministry later agreed to help seek a retrial.
However, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the petition. The court said it suspected there was a network that hired out people to confess to crimes they did not commit in exchange for payment — in this case, to back Ms Jomsap’s claims of wrongful conviction.
According to the court, evidence and witnesses that were brought to the hearing by the legal team representing Jomsap were neither new nor reliable, and the witnesses gave conflicting testimonies.
Pol Maj Gen Suwicharn said he had assigned Pol Lt Col Adisak Polsriharat, chief investigator of Na Done police, and Pol Lt Col Kittisak Samritsakulchai to file a complaint with Na Done, Renu Nakhon and Muang Nakhon Phanom police against Suriya Nualcharoen, a close friend of Jomsap.
After her release, Mr Suriya had submitted evidence to police investigators, saying that Jomsap had been wrongly convicted. A petition seeking the revival of the case was then filed with the Justice Ministry.
Pol Maj Gen Suwicharn said that a complaint would also be filed against Sap Wapee, the man who claimed that he, not Jomsap, had driven the pick-up truck that struck and killed the 75-year-old man in Renu Nakhon district.
Mr Suriya and Mr Sap would be charged with violating Sections 137, 172 and 173 of the Criminal Code.
Other people found to be involved would also face legal action, the police chief warned.
- Earlier report: Police probe evidence in Jomsap case