The Supreme Court has confirmed a lower court ruling to jail a former subdistrict head from the Deep South for alleging that he was tortured by the police.

On 22 November 2017, the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict of the lower courts in sentencing Anuphong Phanthachayangkun, former subdistrict head from Su-ngai Padi District, to one year in prison without suspending the jail term, according to the Manager Online.

He was accused of making false complaints against an investigation team led by Pol Gen Kowit Wattana that he was tortured into confessing that he was involved in the well-known 2004 armed robbery of Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Army Base and the murder of a police officer with three other individuals. 

The Court of First Instance and the Appeal Court acquitted Anuphong and three other suspects of these charges.

After he was acquitted, Anuphong filed a complaint at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) against 20 police officers in the investigation team. The DSI passed the complaint to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which dropped it, citing weak evidence.

Pol Gen Phanuphong Singhara na Ayutthaya, a former deputy police chief who was among the 20, then sued Anuphong, accusing the former village head of making a false accusation.

The Supreme Court reasoned that there was no witness to corroborate Anuphong’s statement because he and the three other suspects in the armed robbery were taken into a police plane when the alleged torture occurred although the three said that they heard Anuphong’s voice while on the plane.

Anuphong Pantachayankoon (Photo from the Manager Online)