Somchai Kaewbangyang, left, and Pornchanok Chaiyapa at the Criminal Court after hearing their sentence in January 2016. (Bangkok Post file photo)

The Appeals Court on Monday // upheld a 20-year prison sentence // handed down to a Thai woman // for concealing the body of a murdered 79-year-old Japanese man // and stealing his money in 2014.

Pornchanok Chaiyapa, 50, // was last year sentenced to prison  // for helping her husband conceal the body of //  the elderly Japanese teacher, Yoshinori Shimato.

Her husband was also convicted of // stealing more than 45,000 baht worth of the victim's belongings // and she was found guilty of illegally using the victim's ATM card // to withdraw about 720,000 baht in total // from his bank accounts.

The crimes occurred // between Sept 21 and Oct 13, 2014.

Pornchanok had been Shimoto's companion. // On Sept 21, 2014, // she took him to a hospital in Bangkok's Bang Na area  // as he was suffering from weakness in his limbs.

The woman rejected // a doctor's recommendation that he be admitted, // telling hospital staff it would be too costly. // She then took the man to her house //  in Bang Sao Thong district, Samut Prakan.

She and Somchai Kaewbangyang, 50, // her taxi-driver husband, // detained Shimoto at her house, // where the victim was killed.

Somchai was found guilty of // stabbing and suffocating Shimoto. // In January last year,  // he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder.  // The punishment was commuted from death // due to his confession. //  He did not appeal.

The body was dismembered // and dumped in a canal // in Samut Prakan's Bang Bo district.

Public prosecutors asked the Appeals Court // to also punish Pornchanok // for taking part in the murder // but it, // like the Criminal Court,  // gave her the benefit of the doubt  // because evidence only showed that // she had taken the victim to her house and to her bed.