The woman whose parked pickup truck blocked a driveway in February, sending the "axe aunties" into a fury, has been sentenced to a 15-day suspended prison term and fined 5,000 baht.
The Phra Khanong Provincial Court on Monday passed sentence on Rachanikorn Lertwasana for violating the Land Transport Act by blocking the driveway entrance to the house of Rattanachat Saengyoktrakan and Maneerat Saengpattarachote in Bangkok's Prawet district on Feb 19.
The court sentenced Ms Rachanikorn, 37, to a 15-day jail term and fined her 5,000 baht. The prison sentence was suspended for one year as she had not previously been sentenced to prison. It would allow her the opportunity to return to being a good citizen, the court said.
The quarrel between Ms Rachanikorn and the two house owners, quickly dubbed the "axe aunties", hit the headlines after Ms Rattanachat, 57, used a metal pole and Ms Maneerat, 61, an axe to damage her parked truck.
The two women had become incensed by vendors and shoppers at the adjoining flea market who parked their vehicles across the driveway entrance to their home on Soi Srinakarin 55.
The women had complained for years about inconvenience, noise and other disturbances arising from the markets beside their home.
Ms Rattanachat and Ms Maneerat were the co-plaintiffs with public prosecutors in the case, suing Ms Rachanikorn for obstructing traffic and thereby causing trouble for other people.
The pickup owner, from Samut Sakhon province, fought the case in court, saying she had thought the house was unoccupied. She claimed she did not see the signs posted at the twin gates of the house, asking people not to park there and objecting to the markets operating in a residential area.
She also told the court that she had parked there to go shopping for only 15 minutes. The aunties said they spent over half a hour waiting to drive out, repeatedly sounding their horn, before finally losing their collective temper.
The "axe aunties" have also been indicted by prosecutors for damaging Ms Rachanikorn's vehicle.
Their lawyer, Anantachai Chaidet, said his clients refused to compromise in court and decided to fight the charge on the grounds they were compelled to damage the vehicle out of frustration and anger.
The court case is scheduled to begin in March next year, with witnesses for the plaintiff giving testimony.