Mercedes bus stop killer gets 10 years in Thai prison

Mercedes bus stop killer gets 10 years in Thai prison Bangkok - A Thai court on Friday sentenced the son of a former Miss Thailand to more than 10 years in prison for ramming his Mercedes into a crowd of people at a bus stop, killing one woman and injuring several others.

The Phra Khanong district court handed down a term of 10 years and one month to Kanpithak Patchimsawat, 21, after finding him guilty of intentionally causing death and injury for the 2007 incident that sparked widespread public indignation against the rich and powerful in Bangkok.

Kanpithak ran his Mercedes into the crowd at the bus stop after having a minor accident with a public bus.

It was widely believed that Kanpitak's social position as the son of Sawinee Patchimsawat, a former Miss Thailand, and nephew of retired deputy police chief Ukrit Patchimsawat would make him above the law.

The court reduced an initial sentence of 15 years and two months because the Kanpitak family compensated some of the victims, but it ordered him to pay 2 million baht
(57,970 dollars) to the relatives of the woman killed in the incident and 800,000 baht each to two of the injured. (dpa)

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