9 year old thief steals 33,400 baht and evades arrest with child protection law
A Thai man has sought justice after a nine year old girl stole 33,400 baht from his home in Bangkok’s Nong Khaem district. Despite the young thief confessing to the police, she was not charged due to the child protection law.
The victim, known as Fluke, reached out to the local news Facebook page Drama-addict to share his story with the public. He hopes that doing so will draw the attention of the relevant authorities to the need for a review of laws concerning young offenders.
Fluke revealed that he had fallen victim to the actions of a nine year old girl and possesses substantial evidence to support his claim. However, this evidence has not resulted in any form of punishment for the young perpetrator.
Fluke later gave an interview to Channel 3 and explained the whole story. He explained that the theft happened on the night of March 12 this year but he and his family did not notice the theft until the following day. He checked the security camera in his house and saw the young girl entering his home through a first-floor window.
The girl then went up to the second floor and searched his working table until she found the money. The girl stole only the banknotes and ignored all the coins. She then returned to the first floor and handed the money to someone waiting outside.
Fluke reported the theft to officers at Nong Khaem Police Station, who later accompanied him to the young thief’s home. The girl admitted to the theft but refused to say where she had hidden the money. Her parents claimed they had no knowledge of the theft and the police were unable to trace the money.
Flawed child protection laws
Fluke suggested that an adult was behind the theft, as the girl handed the money to someone outside the house. However, there was no clear evidence leading to that person.
Officers concluded that the girl had committed the theft on her own but child protection laws prevented her from being charged. The police only ordered the girl’s parents to pay Fluke 1,000 baht every month. Fluke said he only received 2,000 baht from the couple before they cut contact with them.
Fluke revealed that he had seen the girl stealing more than 10 times in the area, especially from grocery stores. He even helped shop staff catch the young offender on one occasion and had not expected that he would fall victim to her criminal activities.
Fluke expressed deep concern about the girl’s well-being. She was not attending school and seemed to be lacking proper supervision. He feared that her behaviour might escalate, potentially leading her down a path toward more serious criminal activities in the future.
The Child Protection Act has become a prominent topic of discussion on Thai social media, particularly following the tragic shooting incident at the Siam Paragon mall. The perpetrator was only 14 years old, prompting concerns that he might receive a lenient or no punishment, even if he had caused harm to innocent people.
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