A woman who drove a BMW at 200 kilometres per hour and fatally struck a mother and two children on a motorcycle in Chumphon last year has been sentenced to 4 years and 7 months in jail.
The Chumphon Provincial Court on Wednesday initially sentenced the defendant to 9 years and 2 months, but the term was reduced following her confession. The sentence was not suspended.
The court subsequently granted bail pending an appeal, after the defendant placed 150,000 baht as surety. But she must wear an electronic monitoring anklet and is not allowed to travel abroad.
The tragic incident occurred on May 27 last year in tambon Tak Daet in Muang district of the southern province. The victims – a 52-year-old woman, her 16-year-old son and her 14-year-old daughter – were returning home from tutoring classes when their motorcycle was struck by the speeding BMW. All three family members died at the scene.
The sedan was driven by Ms Jiranthanin, 30, whose surname has not been disclosed.
Evidence retrieved from the driver’s mobile phone showed the vehicle’s speed reaching 207 kilometres per hour at the time of the crash. She later disappeared from the scene, claiming she was searching for her cat.
Earlier, lawyer Monchai Jongkairattanakul said the defendant had changed her plea to admit guilt, concluding the criminal proceedings.
In a related civil case, the defendant has agreed to pay 5.5 million baht in compensation to the victims’ family. She deposited 300,000 baht with the court on the day of the hearing in July and paid another 200,000 baht at the end of October.
The remaining 5 million baht will be paid over eight years in monthly instalments of at least 30,000 baht each, said the lawyer.
Suriyan Hongwilai, spokesman for the Court of Justice, clarified the legal reasoning behind the sentencing amid public concern that the punishment might appear too lenient.
He said the information from the Chumphon Provincial Court showed that a public prosecutor served as the plaintiff, with the victims’ husband and father as co-plaintiffs, seeking 24.2 million baht in damages.
Both parties subsequently reached the settlement agreement for 5.5 million baht in total compensation, as outlined by Mr Monchai.
Falcon Insurance, the car’s insurer, has already paid 4.5 million baht in compensation to the victims’ family.
The defendant initially denied some charges, claiming the victims shared fault, but later withdrew her plea and admitted guilt in full.
Mr Suriyan said the court had imposed a sentence higher than half the maximum allowed by law, reflecting the gravity of the crime.
While the penalty was reduced due to the defendant’s confession, the court decided not to suspend the prison term, citing the severe loss of life despite her later attempts to mitigate the damage.