Police arrested a Thai man in the central province of Lop Buri for attempting to kill his benefactor, over an alleged affair with his wife.
The benefactor, a 49 year old Thai man named Thanat, was shot outside a restaurant on Pracha Withi Road in the Khok Samrong sub-district in Lop Buri at about 7.30pm on February 16. Thanat said the gunman parked his gold bronze Isuzu pick-up opposite the restaurant and fired three shots at him before fleeing the scene.
Channel 7 reported that one of the shots hit Thanat in the back but he managed to walk unaided to the ambulance. Thanat’s condition is stable but is still being closely monitored by doctors.
Officers from the Khok Samrong Police Station checked nearby security cameras and tried to locate the pickup truck but were unsuccessful at first. They then set up police checkpoints along the routes likely to be used in an escape but failed to find the gunmen.
Unexpectedly, officers at Khok Samrong Police Station received a report of a car accident at 10.20pm on the same day and discovered that the damaged car belonged to the gunman they were looking for. However, the gunman, later identified as 47 year old Boonchu, was not present at the scene.
Boonchu crashed his pickup into an electric pole on Phahonyothin Road in the Nikom Sangton sub-district. Boonchu, who was drunk and injured, fled the scene but did not get far. Police arrested him outside a convenience store near the scene and took him to hospital.
Secret affair
The Lop Buri Rescue Foundation revealed to the media that Boonchu drove at 170 kilometres per hour and crashed his pickup into several cars along the road before hitting the electric pole.
During questioning, Boonchu made known that he once held a deep respect for the victim, Thanat, regarding him as an elder brother. Thanat had been a benefactor, offering support to Boonchu in various ways.
Boonchu recounted how Thanat had leased him a plot of land at a discounted rate, enabling him to establish a small restaurant in the province.
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According to Boonchu, a turning point came six months ago when he saw Thanat having sex with his wife in a storage room in his restaurant. He kept the issue to himself and planned the murder of Thanat since then.
Boonchu faces four charges including:
- Attempted murder. The punishment is half of the punishment of Section 288 of the Criminal Law: murder. According to Section 288, whoever murders others shall be punished with life imprisonment or imprisonment from 15 to 20 years.
- Section 8 of the Act on Firearms, Ammunition, Explosive, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearm: carrying a gun in a public place without permission and necessary. The punishment will be imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
- Section 376 of the Criminal Law: shooting in public places without necessary. The punishment will be imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both.
- Section 160 of the Land Transport Act: driving under the influence of alcohol which causes injury to another person and damage to the assets of another person. The penalty will be imprisonment from one to five years, a fine from 20,000 to 100,000 baht, and a driving license suspension of at least one year.
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