Prathom Iadkhao, 49, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Songkhla Provincial Criminal Court on Wednesday for the rape and murder of a teenage girl in the southern province of Phatthalung two years ago.
The court found that when he was driving his car, he deliberately side-swiped a motorcycle driven by the girl on Feb 28, 2021. The motorcycle was sent ploughing into a roadside ditch.
Prathom then punched the 15-year-old three times and raped her before stealing 1,300 baht from her. Before he left, he used a cross wrench to beat her to death. Police arrested him within 26 hours of the murder.