Juveniles get 28 years over murder, rape

A juvenile court in Phatthalung has sentenced two 17-year-olds to 28 years in prison each for the murder of a southern man and the rape and assault of his girlfriend early this year.

The Phatthalung Juvenile and Family Court on Wednesday also sentenced a third defendant in the case, a girl under the age of 18, to four months in jail, suspended for three years, and placed her on probation for two years.

The crime also involved four adult defendants, three men and a woman, who are being tried separately.

According to the juvenile court’s ruling, the underage female defendant had lured a young couple, Phasakorn Khongsawat and his girlfriend, both 19 years old, to a meeting with the first and second 17-yearold male defendants, and two men at Baan Khao Khram in Sri Nakharin district at 4am on Jan 27.

One of the two were identified as Nopporn Thong-iad, 19, and the other is an 18-year-old.

The four males, who were under the influence of kratom leaves, assaulted Phasakorn and used a pistol to force the couple to go into a forest about 7km from the nearest village. They gang-raped the woman who was three months pregnant.

The gang dug a shallow pit and forced Phasakorn and his girlfriend to sit on the pit’s edge. Mr Nopporn allegedly shot Phasakorn in the head and stabbed him. The gang tried to force Phasakorn’s girlfriend into the pit but she begged them to spare her life.

The first defendant then fired a second shot at Phasakorn before he and the second defendant buried the man.

The second defendant then detained the female victim at his home until Jan 30.

The teenagers later drove the woman to a secluded area in the mountains where they bludgeoned and stabbed her until she lost consciousness.

The gang dumped her into a ravine believing she was dead, but the woman survived and was rescued and taken to hospital by good Samaritans.

Police said the motive for the crime stemmed from a personal feud between Mr Nopporn, the alleged gang leader, and Phasakorn.

Both 17-year-old defendants were sentenced on charges including concealment of a body, rape involving the use of a weapon, premeditated murder, compelling others to do something using weapons, holding others against their will, carrying weapons to public venues and violating the law controlling firearms and ammunition.

The female defendant aged below 18 was also found guilty of compelling others to do something by using weapons, holding others against their will and supporting others in rape.