Free from jail after police mistake

Working to support his 3-year old son & finishing university, police mistake jails for 2 years, can't get job with criminal record.

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JUSTICE

Man demands record be expunged after wrongful imprisonment

16 May 2013
Wassayos Ngamkham

A 38-year-old man wrongly jailed for almost two years on drug trafficking charges has called on police to remove his name from their criminal records.

Anukul Nithinusakorn, 37, a Chiang Mai resident, says police have refused to do so despite all charges against him being dropped.

Having a criminal record is hurting his chances of finding a job, he says.

Atchariya Ruengrattanapong, the chairman of a group to help victims of miscarriages of justice, took Mr Anukul to the Crime Suppression Division yesterday. Mr Anukul was in jail at Khlong Prem Central Prison for one year and 7 months for a crime he did not commit.

Police from the Narcotics Suppression Sub-division 3 arrested him on July 7, 2010, while he was working at an auto firm in the Lat Phrao area. The drugs team accused him of involvement in the illicit drug trade following the arrest of two drug suspects - Montri Srilakhot and Somboon Pon-iem - at Nonthaburi bus station.

The men were found with a fruit box containing about 7,000 speed pills.

Mr Anukul said police had found a copy of his ID card inside the fruit box and arrested him for involvement in the drug trade.

A document showed the fruit box containing the drugs had been sent to the two suspects from Chiang Mai.

He denied all charges.

Witness accounts were submitted to police to prove he was in Bangkok, not in Chiang Mai as alleged. He had also presented documents showing his ID card had been lost and he had applied for a new one. However, police had not considered the documents, Mr Anukul claimed.

Mr Anukul was denied bail during his trial, resulting in him being imprisoned for one year, seven months and 13 days, he said. The court later dropped his case and public prosecutors had not appealed against the verdict.

After his release, he petitioned the Royal Thai Police Office to expunge his criminal record. However, nothing was done. The record deprived him of opportunities to find a job

"When I was arrested, I was taking a course in engineering at university," he said. "I was a third-year student and my only son was three years old at the time. I had just moved from a factory to work at an auto firm. After I was arrested, I had to end my studies and ended up with family problems," Mr Anukul said.

Mr Atchariya said he would take Mr Anukul to seek justice from the Royal Thai Police Office and the Justice Ministry's Rights and Liberties Protection Department and would gather evidence to file a lawsuit against the police handling of the case. 

Pol Col Pornchai Charoenwong, deputy chief of the Narcotics Suppression Sub-division 3, said if Mr Anukul wanted his record removed, he could directly submit his request to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau. 

(Source: Bangkok Post, JUSTICE, Man demands record be expunged after wrongful imprisonment, 16 May 2013, Wassayos Ngamkham, link) 


Justice Vocabulary

justice - when people are treated fairly and equally (See Wikipedia) ความยุติธรรม
seek justice

miscarriages of justice - when a person is punished for a crime they did not commit or do

commit crime - to do or carry out a crime
in jail for a crime he did not commit

records - pieces of information describing something written down or stored on a computer บันทึุก
criminal records - pieces of information that the government keeps that shows that a person committed a crime or was arrested
having a criminal record

expunge - remove something from public records
expunge records - remove information from records
expunge criminal records

remove - to take something away เอาออกจาก
remove name from criminal records

imprisonment - the punishment of being put in prison จำคุก
wrongful imprisonment

demand - to ask or request someone to do something

Man demands record be expunged after wrongful imprisonment

jail - to keep a person in jail for a period of time as punishment for a crime
wrongly jailed

drug trafficking - the buying, selling and transportation of illegal drugs

charges - bring a criminal case against a person
drug trafficking charges

A 38-year-old man wrongly jailed for almost two years on drug trafficking charges has called on police to remove his name from their criminal records.

resident - a person who lives in a particular area ผู้พักอาศัย, ผู้อยู่อาศัยในบริเวณ ประชาชนที่อาศัยในท้องที่
a Chiang Mai resident

refuse - to say "no" (that you will not do something) 
police have refused to do so

drop charges - to end criminal action against someone (end court case that might result in jail or other punishment)
all charges against him being dropped

Anukul Nithinusakorn, 37, a Chiang Mai resident, says police have refused to do so despite all charges against him being dropped.

hurting chances - make something less likely to happen
hurting chances of finding a job

Having a criminal record is hurting his chances of finding a job.

victims - people who are killed injured or harmed in some way from an accident, natural disaster, crime, etc.
chairman of a group to help victims of miscarriages of justice

suppression - stopping something, stopping or reducing some activity, restraint, curb, check, repression การระงับ, การหยุดยั้ง, การปราบปราม, การเลิก, การขจั
crime suppression - stopping crime
narcotics suppression - stopping drugs

division - one part of a large organisation
the Crime Suppression Division

sub-division - one part of a division
Narcotics Suppression Sub-division 3

firm - a business or company บริษัท
he was working at an auto firm in the Lat Phrao area.

illicit - against the law ผิดกฎหมาย
trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
illicit drug trade

suspects - people that the police think might be guilty of a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย
drug suspects
arrest of drug suspects

bus station.

accused - to say that someone did something wrong

The drugs team accused him of involvement in the illicit drug trade following the arrest of two drug suspects - Montri Srilakhot and Somboon Pon-iem - at Nonthaburi bus station.

speed pills
The men were found with a fruit box containing about 7,000 speed pills.

ID card
a copy of his ID card

Mr Anukul said police had found a copy of his ID card inside the fruit box and arrested him for involvement in the drug trade.

document - a piece of paper or a set of papers containing official information เอกสาร

A document showed the fruit box containing the drugs had been sent to the two suspects from Chiang Mai.


denied - said it was not true

He denied all charges.

witness
accounts - detailed descriptions of something that has happened การให้การของพยาน
witness accounts

submitted - formally given to someone so they can make a decision about it ยื่นเอกสารเพื่อการพิจารณา
witness accounts were submitted to police

alleged - claimed to be true although not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา

Witness accounts were submitted to police to prove he was in Bangkok, not in Chiang Mai as alleged. He had also presented documents showing his ID card had been lost and he had applied for a new one. However, police had not considered the documents, Mr Anukul claimed.

bail - money that is given to a court when someone is allowed to stay out of prison until their trial. If they do not return for the trial, the court keeps the money เงินประกัน; การประกันตัว (See Wikipedia)
denied bail 

trial - the process of examining a case in a court of law and deciding whether someone has or has not committed a crime, whether someone is guilty (having committed a crime) or innocent (not having committed a crime) การไต่สวนคดี การพิจารณาคดี
denied bail during his trial

appeal - a request to a higher court to change a legal decision การอุทธรณ์
verdict - a decision on a legal case made by a judge or judges, a judgement, a finding คำพิพากษา, คำตัดสินของคณะลูกขุน, การให้ข้อคิดเห็นหลังการไตร่ตรองแล้ว

appealed against the verdict

Mr Anukul was denied bail during his trial, resulting in him being imprisoned for one year, seven months and 13 days, he said. The court later dropped his case and public prosecutors had not appealed against the verdict.

release - to set someone free; to let someone leave a place where they have been kept, in this case, a prison ปล่อยตัว ปล่อยเป็นอิสระ
petitioned - make an official request

After his release, he petitioned the Royal Thai Police Office to expunge his criminal record. However, nothing was done.

deprive - take away, to take something away from someone
opportunities - situations in which it is possible to do what you want or need to do
deprive of opportunities

The criminal record deprived him of opportunities to find a job

"When I was arrested, I was taking a course in engineering at university," he said. "I was a third-year student and my only son was three years old at the time. I had just moved from a factory to work at an auto firm. After I was arrested, I had to end my studies and ended up with family problems," Mr Anukul said.

file - to take official action, in this case, to make an official complaint ยื่นคำร้อง
lawsuit - a case that a court of law is asked to decide involving a disagreement between two people or organisations คดีที่อยู่ในระหว่างการฟ้องร้อง
file a lawsuit

evidence - facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime หลักฐาน
gather evidence to file a lawsuit

Mr Atchariya said he would take Mr Anukul to seek justice from the Royal Thai Police Office and the Justice Ministry's Rights and Liberties Protection Department and would gather evidence to file a lawsuit against the police handling the case. 

deputy - a person who is given the power to do something instead of another person, or the person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง, ตัวแทน,ผู้รักษาการแทน
deputy chief - second in command

submit - to formally give something to someone so that can make a decision about it ยื่น (เอกสาร) เพื่อการพิจารณา
submit request

Pol Col Pornchai Charoenwong, deputy chief of the Narcotics Suppression Sub-division 3, said if Mr Anukul wanted his record removed, he could directly submit his request to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau.