The Criminal Court on Thursday acquitted Prinn Panitchpakdi, a former deputy leader of the Democrat Party, in a case where he was accused of committing an indecent act on a 17-year-old girl in 2018.
According to the prosecution lawsuit, during daylight hours on April 25, 2018, while travelling in a van Mr Prinn was accused of holding the girl's left hand with his right hand while touching her thigh with his left hand. This allegedly happened in full view of the public, and the minor was unable to resist the molestation. The incident occurred in Bangkok's Din Daeng district.
Mr Prinn was charged with committing an indecent act against a minor aged over 15 but less than 18 years old and taking a minor away from parents for an act of indecency.
The defendant denied the charges and was released on bail.
Following the examination of the prosecution and defence evidence, the court found that the alleged offences took place in a private van fitted with curtains and dark films, with a curtain separating the driver's and passenger compartments. Therefore, the actions could not be seen by outsiders. Moreover, the statute of limitations in an indecency case is only three months, and since this case occurred in 2018, the statute of limitations has expired.
Regarding the charge of taking a minor away from parents, the court learned that the alleged offence took place while the defendant was taking the girl in a van from an office to a condominium. When the girl asked him to drop her on the roadside so she could take an electric train, the defendant agreed to her request. Thus, there was no evidence to charge the defendant with taking away a minor from parents.
The court acquitted him of the charges.
Mr Prinn has been indicted in courts for many sexual offences against women. In one of the cases, the Bangkok South Criminal Court sentenced him to four years in jail on Sept 28 and ordered him to pay 2 million baht in damages after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting Hathairat "Anna" Vidhyaphum. He was released on bail.
Tanat "Nat" Thanakitamnuay, left, and Hathairat "Anna" Vidhyaphum greet reporters at the Bangkok South Criminal Court in April last year. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)
Ms Hathairat was married to Tanat "Nat" Thanakitamnuay, a wealthy former Democrat Party member who resigned and became a high-profile supporter of the pro-democracy protests in 2020. He lost an eye during a protest rally that turned violent.
Mr Prinn, 45, is the son of Supachai Panitchpakdi, a former deputy prime minister, a former director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and a former secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).