Chaiphol Wipha, the suspect in the notorious “Nong Chompoo” murder case, has been granted bail on conditions that include a ban on overseas travel, his lawyer said on Friday.
The Mukdahan Provincial Court set bail at 180,000 baht in cash in exchage for his temporary release, said Sittra Biabangkuer.
He later posted a photo on Mr Chaiphol’s Facebook page of himself standing with his client — the uncle of three-year-old murder victim Orawan “Nong Chompoo” Wongsricha — at an unknown location.
Police at the Kok Toom station had taken Mr Chaiphol to the court in the northeastern province to request further detention, saying he could tamper with evidence or even flee the country. But the court permitted bail on conditions including no threats to witnesses, no interference with evidence and no travel abroad.
The village chief of Ban Kok Toom has been appointed to ensure that Mr Chaiphol would strictly follow the conditions, according to the court.
Mr Chaiphol, 44, surrendered to police in Bangkok on Wednesday. He faces multiple charges stemming from the death last year of his three-year-old niece. He was flown to the Kok Toom police station from Bangkok for the charges to be officially pressed on the same day.
“Nong Chompoo” was found dead on a mountain near Ban Kok Kork in Dong Luang district of Mukdahan in May last year. The subsequent investigation of her death turned into a media circus, with her uncle achieving brief celebrity status as some people believed he was unfairly suspected of the crime.
Mr Chaiphol has denied the charges.
The uncle of a three-year-old girl found dead on a mountain in Mukdahan last year surrendered to police in Bangkok on Wednesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. (Video by Wassayos Ngamkham and Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)