Regional News
Son former Miss Thailand Sawinee Pakaranang will Serve No Time in Prison
BANGKOK – The Son of former Miss Thailand Sawinee Pakaranang found guilty of ramming his car into a crowded bus stop, killing one woman and injuring several others, will serve no time in prison, as a result of an Appeals Court ruling yesterday.
The court reduced and suspended the prison term handed down to Kanpitak Pachimsawat, 25, the son of a former Miss Thailand, after deciding Kanpitak could not be held responsible for his actions due to a mental disorder.
Son of former Miss Thailand Sawinee Pakaranang and businessman Kan-anek Pachimsawat.Kanpitak, better known by his nickname ‘‘Mu Ham’’, was charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder and physical assault in connection with the July 4, 2007 collision.
The defendant is the son of former Miss Thailand Sawinee Pakaranang and businessman Kan-anek Pachimsawat.
He drove his Mercedes Benz sedan into a crowd waiting at a bus stop in Watthana district, killing one woman and severely injuring two other people, following a quarrel with a bus driver.
Saichol Luangsaeng, a staff member with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, was killed.
In 2009, the Phra Khanong provincial court sentenced Kanpitak to 10 years and a month in jail, rejecting a claim by his family that he could not control himself due to his disorder.
The court yesterday read out its verdict at the Phra Khanong provincial court. The judges said they were convinced Kanpitak was unable to control himself.
The judges said they reached the conclusion after discussing the matter with Kanpitak’s physician and other medical experts including psychologists, social workers, clinical psychologists and nurses. The meeting concluded Kanpitak suffered from bipolar disorder. They ruled that he was unable to control himself while angry and his actions during the fatal incident were involuntary.
The court initially reduced the sentence to three years, and then further reduced it to a term of two years, suspended, on the grounds the defendant had paid compensation that satisfied the injured parties and family of the deceased. The plaintiffs did not want to file civil and criminal cases against him.
