14 teens arrested after woman killed in knife attack

Police officers arrested 14 teenage boys after one of them allegedly murdered a female motorcycle rider on a road in Nakhon Sawan, in the central part of Thailand, on Saturday night.

Officers from Paisaree Police Station managed to arrest the teenage gang after they fled the scene separately on March 18. The students, aged 16 to 17, go to a high school in the Tha Tago district of Nakhon Sawan.

The main suspect, 16 year old Pao, admitted he attacked the victim, 22 year old Suwanan or Bow, but claimed that he did not mean to. He said his knife accidentally slipped out of his hand and pierced Bow’s shoulder while he was brandishing it to his friends on the roadside.

Bow’s 17 year old friend, Jah, told the media that they were travelling home by motorcycle after visiting a funfair in a Paisaree district. Bow was riding the bike while she was a passenger.

While they were travelling on the Paisaree-Tha Tago Road, Jah spotted the teenage boys gathered on the roadside. She said they looked dangerous and suspicious and were worried about their safety, so she asked Bow to speed up and get away from the group as soon as possible.

However, the two could not escape the danger. Jah stated that one of them, later identified to be Pao, walked closer to them and threw a long knife at her and Bow. The knife hit Bow directly on her right shoulder. Bow told Jah that she was cut but carried on until they go to the police station.

Upon arrival at the police station, about 4 kilometres from the scene, Bow lost consciousness and later died there. Her shoulder was badly cut and she lost a lot of blood.

Jah told the media that the attacker told her and Bow’s family that he did not know what had happened because he was drunk. She added that the police told her not to give any details to the media because it would affect the case. She said she did not understand what the officers wanted and was afraid that her friend would not get justice.

Bow’s mother, 47 year old Kanlaya, gave an interview with the media yesterday. She said she was shocked and heartbroken to lose her only daughter. She and Bow had never been separated, and her daughter was a good girl working to provide for the family. She wanted the police to take the case seriously and find justice.

The superintendent of the Paisaree Police Station, Kosit Karnjanakomon, reported that the police were not convinced by Pao’s confessions. Pao was initially charged with intentional murder. Further investigation and questioning will be conducted with Pao and his friends to see whether anyone else was involved in the attack.

According to Section 288 of the Criminal Law, whoever murders another person with intent will face the death penalty or imprisonment for 15 to 20 years.

However, the penalty for teenagers aged between 15 and 18 years old depends on the court’s decision. If the court agrees to punish the teenage suspect, he will probably face half the penalty for an adult over 20 years old.