Road rage costs ‘Nott’ 180,000 baht
Former TV host Akanat “Nott” Ariyaritwikul and a friend have agreed in arbitration to pay 180,000 baht to a motorcyclist they assaulted in a high-profile case of road rage last year, the victim’s lawyer said yesterday.
Mr Akanat’s Mini Cooper was sideswiped by a motorcycle ridden by Kittisak Singto on Nov 4. The celebrity and his friend Witawat Sribanditmongkol were charged with colluding to injure the biker, who suffered a broken nose.
Public outrage grew after a video clip went viral showing Mr Akanat, who was 28 at the time, ordering the injured Mr Kittisak to prostrate himself before the Mini Cooper by way of apology. Mr Akanat’s employers, GMMTV and ThaiPBS, soon ended their contracts with him.
Mr Akanat later apologised to the 26-year-old victim and his family for overreacting to what he initially believed was an attempted hitand-run. But their dispute in the civil case ended yesterday at the South Bangkok Criminal Court.
Mr Akanat and Mr Witawat agreed to pay the compensation after Mr Kittisak’s lawyer informed them of the costs incurred by two operations and Mr Kittisak’s loss of income.
In an apparent bid to show his change of heart since the accident, the former TV host clasped his hands together in a traditional wai gesture to apologise to Mr Kittisak.
Mr Kittisak, who works at a revenue branch office in Taling Chan, earlier told police his motorcycle scraped a rear light of the Mini Cooper on Charoen Krung Road, but this was because his motorbike was hit by a taxi, causing him to lose balance.
He told police he initially wanted to flee the scene but changed his mind when he realised the activity had probably been recorded by nearby closed circuit TV cameras, and he should talk to the driver.
This led to a confrontation with an irate Akanat who repeatedly punched him, he said.
His nose was fractured, causing him to have several operations at Lerdsin Hospital.
Mr Kittisak said Mr Witawat shoved him in the back while he was being punched.
His lawyer, Songkan Atchariyasap, said his client’s nose is still in “bad shape” and needs further treatment.
The case led prosecutors to file lawsuits against Mr Akanat and Mr Witawat under the Criminal Code for assault and depriving the victim of freedom and liberty, among other charges.
The Criminal Court set next Monday for inspecting evidence in the criminal case.