AYUTTHAYA: A 56-year-old taxi motorcyclist has surrendered to police to answer a charge of killing his neighbour by driving a car into him, saying they had a longstanding personal conflict.
Paiboon Sangsarn gave himself up at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya police station on Monday morning.
A court warrant had been issued for his arrest. He is charged with murdering neighbour Suphan Yatbanthung, 57, a senior civil engineer at the Department of Rural Roads, in the Krungsri City housing estate in tambon Klong Suan Phlu on Saturday.
Mr Paiboon allegedly told police he lost his temper. He had a long-running dispute with Suphan, whom he accused of continually blocking their shared side-street. He said Suphan had been inconsiderate towards him and the other neighbours.
"I was walking past the man's house because I had been hired to drive a car to take some children to a football field. The man was watering some plants and flashed the water towards me, and gave me eyebrow flashes. I couldn't have been angrier, and did it," Mr Paiboon said.
He said he had since repented. He should not have done it.
Video from a closed-circuit camera in their soi showed Suphan cleaning the area and watering plants in front of his house. Mr Paiboon, who lives next door, walked out of his house and spoke to Suphan before walking towards a car parked opposite his house.
Mr Paiboon reversed and almost hit Suphan's clothesline, which extended out into the soi.
He picked up an elderly man and two boys waiting in the street. He backed up, then accelerated forward and steered into Suphan. who was bending down tending his plants along his fenceline.
The car was then driven rapidly off with the boys still inside. Suphan's body was left on the road about 50 metres from where he was hit.
Police later found the car abandoned at a football field about three kilometres away. Mr Paiboon fled from Ayutthaya.
The moment before impact. (Police photo supplied)