Thai killer-cop gets double life term

[gazlannathai]

British Couple Murdered: Verdict Tomorrow

BANGKOK: -- Photographs contradicting a Thai policeman’s testimony that he didn’t know the young British tourist couple he is charged with murdering are likely to be a crucial factor in the trial verdict, expected tomorrow, a lawyer for the victims said.

Sgt Somchai Visetsingha is accused in the September 9 deaths of Britons Adam Lloyd, 25, and Vanessa Arscott, 24, in the tourist town of Kanchanaburi, 70 miles west of Bangkok.

Witnesses said the incident began with a post-midnight argument between Lloyd and Somchai in a restaurant in Kanchanaburi.

In his original account – which Somchai later said was given under duress – the policeman said he drew his pistol and shot Lloyd in a fit of fury after the Briton spat in his face during an argument, but that he had not intended to kill Arscott, whom he unwittingly hit with his car as she tried to stop him from fleeing. He said he stopped his car and shot her in a panic.

That was the version he gave to police and the press after surrendering to authorities on October 7 after a month-long manhunt.

He later pleaded innocent in court, where he changed his testimony about his actions, claiming he did not kill the two tourists.

The change came after the court retained murder charges against Somchai – which carry the death penalty – rather than reducing the charges to non-capital crimes as Somchai had sought.

In his new version given in court testimony, Somchai claimed that one of his criminal informants – he worked in the local drug squad – had carried out the killings against his wishes. He was unable to identify the man except by a pseudonym.

The photos, which came from Arscott’s camera and were turned over to her parents, show the policeman kissing her on the cheek and playfully joking with the couple.

The pictures, which were also published in the Sunday online edition of the British tabloid News of the World, are important evidence because they contradict Somchai’s account that he was not acquainted with the couple before Lloyd allegedly struck him. That would discredit Somchai’s testimony.

“That picture (of Somchai kissing Vanessa) was presented in court,” Sanhawit Saimala, a lawyer for the families of Arscott and Lloyd, said Tuesday. “I believe that it should be enough for the court to find that he is guilty.”

Somchai’s lawyer, Sukawi Saengpao, declined to comment on the case, saying only that it is in the court’s hands. He said Somchai’s wife and family would be at the hearing.

Arscott’s family also was expected to attend.

Corruption is widespread in Thai society and especially in the police force. Officers who commit crimes often go unpunished or receive only light punishment.

--scotsman.com 2005-05-25

Gaz says - Important bit this - note the ever changing story from Somchai, then read the judges verdict below.

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[gazlannathai]

The accused kissing one of the victims




What's your opinion? Was he kissing her or whispering something in her ear before being surprised by the camera?

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[gazlannathai]

THAI POLICEMAN GUILTY



KANCHANABURI: -- A Thai policeman has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering two British tourists in September last year.

Somchai Visetsing shot Vanessa Arscott, 24, and her boyfriend Adam Lloyd, 25 after a row outside a restaurant in western Thailand.

Mr Lloyd was shot in the stomach, head and arm before Somchai turned on his girlfriend.

She was hit with a car and dragged her 200 metres down the road before being shot in the body and head.

Visetsing, 39, spent a month on the run in the neighbouring country of Burma before surrendering to Thai police.

He denied two counts of murder and illegal possession of weapons.

Eileen Arscott, grandmother of the dead woman, described Somchai as a "psychopath".

She said: "This last month, coming up to this date, it has got worse each day - your stomach churns.

"You're thinking of these two lovely children all the time, and what that wicked man did, and you are not really in control of yourself."

Mr Lloyd and Miss Arscott, both from Devon, had been travelling together for two months and were due to return to Britain three days after the tragedy.

--Sky news 2005-05-26

[gazlannathai]

Policeman guilty of Thai murders

KANCHANABURI: -- A Thai police sergeant has been convicted of killing two British backpackers and jailed for life.

Adam Lloyd, 25, from Torquay, and Vanessa Arscott, 23, from Ashburton, Devon, died near Kanchanaburi, 80 miles west of Bangkok, in September 2003.

Somchai Wisetsingh, 40, had denied murdering Mr Lloyd and running over and killing Miss Arscott following an incident at his restaurant.

The victims' parents were at the Thai courthouse for the verdict.

Somchai was handed two life sentences for the killings, and convicted on two separate weapons charges.

He faced the death sentence but Judge Dilok Boonthawinant said a confession to police made him change it to life imprisonment.

The sergeant, who surrendered to the authorities on 7 October, told the court he shot Mr Lloyd after the Briton spat in his face during an argument.

He said he had not intended to kill Miss Arscott, whom he accidentally hit with his car as she tried to stop him from fleeing, and then shot in a panic.

Miss Arscott's mother Joyce, who flew out to Thailand with her younger sister Alyssa on Tuesday night, had earlier said she was "optimistic" that Sgt Wisetsingh would be found guilty.

She added: "We will be happy if we get the right verdict, but we have still got to come to terms and start grieving properly.

"They were two dear kids. They had a wonderful holiday and said what a lovely country it was, what lovely people they met.

"They said although they were looking forward to coming home, they said 'Thailand has been like a home to us'."

Asked about the possibility that Somchai could be sentenced to death if found guilty, she said: "I don't care what they do with him as long as he pays for his sins."

Miss Arscott and Mr Lloyd, from Torquay, Devon, had been travelling in Thailand for two months. They were killed two days before they were to fly home.

--BBC 2005-05-26

[gazlannathai]

More from Reuters:

"The plaintiffs' witnesses and evidence have convinced the court that the defendant committed the crimes of intentional killing a person and killing another to avoid his first crime as charged," said Judge Dilok Bultaweenan, reading out the verdict.

Families of the victims hugged each other as an interpreter translated the ruling.

Somchai, who went on the run for a month after the killings, was initially sentenced to death, but had that punishment commuted to life in prison because he surrendered and confessed to police.

During a confusing series of court appearances, Somchai denied admitting he had shot Lloyd because he spat in his face after a heated argument at Somchai's riverside restaurant.

He said another man, whom he did not know, had killed the couple.

But the judge said Somchai's testimonies "were groundless and could not counter the plaintiffs' witnesses".

The court statement said that after Somchai shot Lloyd he ran over Arscott, and then shot her several times at point-blank range as she tried to crawl away.

Somchai's lawyer said he would appeal the conviction.

[gazlannathai]

Provincial judge Rungrat Vijitjongkol said several witnesses had testified that Somchai's car was at the scene, and said they heard gunfire and had seen the suspect with the two tourists.

"For the murder of Adam Lloyd, the sentence is life in prison. For the murder of Vanessa Ascott to cover up the crime of murdering Lloyd, the sentence should be the death penalty, but because he confessed during the investigation and provided useful information to authorities, the sentence is reduced to life in prison," Rungrat said.

The victim's father, Brian Lloyd, 57, said the families of the victims were pleased with the conviction, but urged the court not to release Somchai on bail during the appeals process. The policeman was granted bail during the trial.

"We appeal to the minister of justice and the attorney general to ensure that this convicted murderer remains securely locked up, and is not granted bail."

"No form of punishment could ever bring our children back, and we trust that the sentence given to this butcher of our children will be served in full," Lloyd said.

[gazlannathai]

First opinions from expats -


The difference between a life sentence and a death sentence in Thailand is that 'Death' is absolute but a 'Life' sentence will probably be reduced by concessions made for the King's birthday. A 'Life' sentence is not really a guaranteed term. The guy coukld be back on the street in ten years, the victims will not!

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The understanding is that, whether spitting was involved or not, the British guy caused the policeman to lose face on his home turf. That can and does drive a lot of Asians to commit murder.

Many of us have been following the story closely since the original incident, because of a widespread perception that Thais with connections tend to escape punishment for their crimes, regardless of how clear the evidence is. (And for the same reasons, foreigners without connections tend to be bottom of the pecking order in the justice system.) Many (foreign residents) at the time predicted that he would somehow escape conviction when the fuss died down, so it's sort of "satisfying" to see that that didn't happen and that justice has almost certainly been served.

It would be nice to believe that this is a sign that the Thai justice system is moving towards equality for all. A die-hard cynic might point out that the policeman concerned was very lowly in the overall scheme of things; precisely the sort of "wild-west" personality that the voting Thai public would also like to see stamped out; and with the British media still baying for blood, the conviction was perhaps a political decision.

As usual, the truth is probably somewhere in between.

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Can someone explain to me these facts, the judge reduced his sentence to life instead of the death penalty, because he confessed.
So how to you appeal a case where you have confessed already?
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This guy will be free before you know it! Having read the posts on this thread, sooo many of you are soooo naive...."Justice is done", "paying for his crimes"
Do me a favour!
Even the police down at the court today were looking embarrassed, they know what REALLY happened here today!

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Life vs death sentence

A couple decades ago, Rose Bird was the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. A guy was on death row for a decade, when the California supreme court decided that the death penalty was unconstitutional, and the guy's sentence was reduced to "life". The California supreme court then ruled that "life" was an indeterminant length, and unconstitutional. He was paroled! While on parole, he murdered another person, and was sent to jail for "25 years to life" - a constitutionally acceptable punishment in California.
As long as this guy is alive, there's a chance he's be on the streets again...probably as a policeman.