Engineer gets 10 years for killing teen in parking row
CHON BURI: The provincial court yesterday handed down a 10-year jail term to an engineer after finding him guilty of premeditated murder in a deadly shooting during a car parking dispute in Chon Buri in February last year.
Suthep Pochanasomboon, 51, was indicted on charges of premeditated murder and carrying a firearm in public for the shooting of Nawapol Peungpai, 17, in Ang Sila tambon of Chon Buri’s Muang district.
He pleaded guilty to the firearm charge but denied premeditated murder. He claimed he shot the teenager in self-defence because his family was in immediate danger.
In its ruling, the court said the defendant could not claim self-defence because, based on the series of events leading to the shooting, he and the victim were both aggressors.
The court also said there was no evidence suggesting the defendant’s relatives had been assaulted by the victim or his friends.
According to the court, the defendant was guilty as charged but his act was due to a lack of self-restraint. The court sentenced him to 10 years in prison and ordered him to pay compensation of 340,000 baht plus 7.5% interest to the victim’s family.
The shooting, which stemmed from a dispute over parking on Feb 4, triggered a public debate about a person’s right to self-defence and who should be held culpable.
A series of video clips appeared online following the incident, mostly from the engineer’s vehicle camera. Those who sympathised with Mr Suthep said he was justified in acting in self-defence while others argued he overreacted.