The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the Appeal Court's ruling sentencing a former red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) guard to 35 years and four months in jail for his role in a grenade attack on a group of rival political protesters in 2014.
The former UDD guard, Narongsak Phlai-aram, 32, was given the prison sentence, while Peerapong Sinthusonthichat, 43, another defendant in the case, was acquitted, according to the Supreme Court's ruling yesterday.
The sentence was handed down on charges of attempted murder, possession of firearms and ammunition without permission, causing explosions harming others and carrying weapons in public without a justifiable reason, according to the ruling.
On March 7, 2014, Yongyuth Boondee, who was a witness in this case, phoned Narongsak asking for a ride to the scene where Mr Yongyuth fired a number of M79 grenades at a group from the People's Democratic Reform Committee outside Shinawatra Tower 3 in Chatuchak district of Bangkok.
The grenades mistakenly landed about 40 metres away from the protesting group, exploding and damaging a building belonging to SC Asset Corporation Plc, said the ruling.
On Nov 6, 2015, the lower court sentenced both Narongsak and Mr Peerapong to 43 years and four months in prison; but the Appeal Court on Aug 24, 2016 commuted the sentence to 35 years and four months for Narongsak while acquitting Mr Peerapong due to a lack of evidence.
In the Supreme Court, the judges found Mr Yongyuth 's testimony implicating Narongsak in the crime highly credible, said the ruling.
As for Mr Peerapong, the ruling said there was no solid evidence to prove his involvement in the grenade attack.
Narongsak had always denied that Mr Peerapong was involved in the grenade attack, so the judges would rather give Mr Peerapong the benefit of the doubt just as the Appeal Court had, said the ruling.
Prior to being read in the Supreme Court in Bangkok yesterday, the same ruling was read before both defendants at the Saraburi provincial prison where they had been detained since the lower court handed down their original prison sentences.
Despite the fact that Mr Peeraong was acquitted by the Appeal Court in 2016, the judges at that time ordered that he remain detained until the appeal against the Appeal Court's ruling was concluded.