Calls for harsh punishment in vicious robbery/murder case

07 มกราคม 2560

The Justice Ministry has said the man suspected of fatally stabbing a 26-year-old man in Lat Phrao district on Wednesday in a gruesome robbery should never be released.

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Fatal robbery spurs life sentence calls

Post Reporters

The Justice Ministry has said the man suspected of fatally stabbing a 26-year-old man in Lat Phrao district on Wednesday in a gruesome robbery that was caught on CCTV camera should never be released as he is a threat to society and a serial offender.

Kittikorn Wikaha, 26, who has been jailed eight times for various offences, including pornography, illicit drugs, burglary and physical assault, allegedly robbed and killed Wasin Luangjaem, a former ground officer for a private firm operating at Suvarnabhumi airport, in Soi Sukhonthasawat 27 about 10pm on Wednesday.

Permanent secretary for justice Chanchao Chaiyanukij said Mr Kittikorn has a long criminal record starting with him being sent to a juvenile rehabilitation programme when he was only 13.

As a serial offender, Mr Kittikorn has a habit of breaching laws and a proposal must be made to prosecutors to seek a court order to stiffen his punishment, Mr Chanchao said.

"Although he might confess, this should not give him the chance of serving a lighter sentence," said Mr Chanchao.

He said based on principles of criminology, the suspect will not change his behaviour in any rehabilitation programme. The suspect must be incarcerated permanently to prevent him harming society, he added.

Wednesday's killing has sparked calls on social media for the stabbing suspect to face capital punishment, while others urged the regime to invoke Section 44 of the interim charter to deal with repeat offenders.

Based on CCTV footage, Mr Kittikorn, armed with a large knife, tried to snatch an iPhone 7 from Wasin, triggering a tussle.

Wasin was seen being repeatedly stabbed before falling to the ground. Mr Kittikorn then fled the scene on a motorcycle allegedly driven by Supatchai Chansri, 25.

Mr Kittikorn was arrested at Ua-Athorn housing estate on Soi Wat Koo in Nonthaburi's Pak Kret district at 10pm on Thursday. Mr Supatchai was apprehended at his friend's house in Nonthaburi around noon yesterday.

Police yesterday held a news conference on the case in the presence of Mr Kittikorn.

After being released from jail on Dec 14, last year, the suspect said he sold fruit at a temple, but he fell short of cash and racked up debt. So, he persuaded a friend who he had met in prison to find victims to rob, according to police.

"I accept I used a knife to stab the victim," Mr Kittikorn said to reporters.

Mr Kittikorn said he saw the victim fiddling with his mobile phone, so he approached him and pretended to ask for directions.

Mr Kittikorn said he then tried to snatch the mobile phone when Wasin turned to speak to him, but the victim resisted, so he knifed him several times. He said he did not intend to kill Wasin.

The suspect rejected media reports that he was on drugs during the stabbing.

The two suspects committed four crimes from Wednesday night to the early hours of Thursday, according to city police chief Sanit Mahathavorn.

At 10.07 pm on Wednesday, they tried to snatch a bag from a woman in Soi Sukhonthasawat 27, but failed. Eight minutes later, they committed the crime involving Wasin.

At 1.30am on Thursday, they allegedly stole another iPhone from a woman in Soi Sukhonthasawat 9. The suspects made off with a mobile phone and 5,000 baht after robbing a woman an hour later in front of Synphaet Hospital in Kannayao district.

Meanwhile, the three agencies under the Justice Ministry – the Department of Probation, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection – have been instructed to update their records and identify other people who could pose a threat to society.