Jail sentence upheld in murder of elderly Japanese
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/1189588/jail-sentence-upheld-in-murder-of-elderly-japanese
Jail sentence upheld in murder of elderly Japanese
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.