Former high-flying monk Wirapol Sukphol, once known as Phra Nen Kham, has dropped his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence for fraud following his conviction for the repeated rape of an underage girl.
The disgraced former monk was on Thursday taken from Bangkok Prison to the Criminal Court, where the Appeal Court's approval of his request to withdraw his appeal was read out.
The Criminal Court on Aug 9 last year sentenced Wirapol to a total of 114 years in prison for deceiving 29 people into donating to disaster relief projects and the construction of what he claimed would be the world's biggest Buddha image. Instead, he used the money to buy a private jet and luxury automobiles. (continues below)
Then-Phra Nen Kham counts his money while on board his private jet in this 2013 image from Facebook.
The 114-year sentence comprised an 87-year term for public fraud, three years for computer crimes and 24 years for money laundering.
However, the court capped his maximum prison term at 20 years, as required under Section 91 of the Penal Code for multiple offences.
The court also ordered him to compensate the 29 complainants for their financial losses.
Wirapol was previously a monk at Wat Pa Khantitham in Kanthararom district, Si Sa Ket province.
In July 2017, public prosecutors told the court that from Feb 17, 2009, to June 27, 2013, Wirapol had been telling people that the deity Indra spoke to him in his dreams and asked him to build sacred objects and temples.
Among the sacred objects was the world's largest Buddha image made from "emerald" imported from Italy, three sets of gold seasonal attire for the Buddha, 199 temple pillars each at a cost of 300,000 baht, along with a gold image of himself and temples in Ubon Ratchathani and Suphan Buri provinces.
He invited people to donate cash, gold and other valuables to his projects. He also claimed he planned to buy boats from the United States to help flood victims.
Wirapol was also subsequently found guilty in October last year of repeatedly raping an underage girl over the course of nearly two years, and keeping her separated from her parents.
He had earlier fled to the US, evading the Department of Special Investigation's move to test his DNA during the investigation process. The US allowed his extradition to Thailand in July 2017 and he has been in detention since then.