Chaiphol Wipha, alias "Uncle Phol", who shot to social media stardom following the death of 3-year-old Orawan "Nong Chompoo" Wongsricha on a mountain in Mukdahan three years ago, was on Wednesday sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Mukdahan provincial court convicted and sentenced Chaiphol on charges of recklessness causing death and depriving a child aged below 15 years of parental care. His wife, who was also charged, was acquitted.
His lawyer gave notice of his client's intention to appeal the judgement within 30 days. Chaiphol was later released on bail at 2.30pm, with a block of land in Amnat Charoen province worth 780,000 baht as surety.
Chaiphol and his lawyer subsequetrly held a press conference where he thanked his supporters. He said he respected the court's judgement, and it was now up to his lawyers.
Chaiphol, 47, was the first defendant in a suit jointly filed by the dead girl's parents, Anamai and Sawittree Wongsricha, and public prosecutors. Mr Chaiphol’s wife Somporn Lappho, 45, the victim's aunt, was the second defendant.
The couple were charged with murder, depriving a child of parental care and abandoning a child under nine years in a way that caused her death, and tampering with a body to influence an autopsy and police investigators.
The court found Chaipol guilty of recklessness causing death under Sections 291 and 317 of the Criminal Code, for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and of depriving a child of parental care, for which he was also sentenced to 10 years. The sentences are cumulative. The court dismissed the other charges.
The court acquitted the second defendant, Ms Somporn, of all charges. They were ordered to pay compensation to the parents of the girl.
Nong Chompoo, aged 3, went missing from her home in Kok Kork village in Dong Luang district of Mukdahan on May 11, 2020.
The girl was found naked and dead on a mountain in Phu Pha Yon National Park, about 2 kilometres from her home, a few days later.
According to investigators, two witnesses saw Chaiphol emerge from the foothills of the Phu Lek Fai mountain range in Kok Kork village, not far from where the girl had gone missing.
Police who searched Chaiphol’s pickup truck found 16 strands of hair that had been cut with a sharp blade, and other items of evidence. One of the hairs matched two cut hairs from the girl that were collected near where she was found dead.
Chaiphol was close to the girl, and Investigators believed took her to the mountain.
The investigation took more than a year. Court warrants were subsequently obtained for the arrest of the couple.
The case sparked a media frenzy, with two TV channels treating it like a reality show, with daily updates for months.
Chaiphol, a rubber tapper and hired hand, became a minor celebrity, was briefly in the show, had many fans and reportedly received huge donations. He always insisted on his innocence. He was hired to be a presenter of products and was also invited to sing a song with popular Luk Thung and Mor Lam singer Jintara Poonlarp.
He and his wife had their own YouTube channel, "Lung Phol-Pa Taen Family" (Uncle Phol and Pa Taen), with more than 358,000 followers.