Court rejects plea to block bail for woman who fatally stabs restaurant owner
Family fears suspect may flee or destroy vital evidence in ongoing case
A woman accused of fatally stabbing a Kamphaeng Phet restaurant owner was released on bail after the victim’s family failed to object. The attack reportedly stemmed from an incident in which the deceased was blamed for not protecting the suspect from a sexual assault.
Officers from Khlong Khlung Police Station arrested 32 year old Jaruwan Jaifai for stabbing to death 62 year old restaurant owner Meena Pattatha on August 20.
Jaruwan told police she attacked out of anger, claiming that on August 18, while drunk at the restaurant, Meena ignored her pleas for help and allowed a 67 year old man to take her away and rape her.
However, one of Meena’s employees denied the accusation. The worker stated that Meena had asked Jaruwan to sleep in her son’s bedroom until she sobered up before returning home, but Jaruwan refused.
The employee added that Meena even asked the alleged rapist to leave, but he insisted on escorting Jaruwan home. Both she and Meena believed he would simply take Jaruwan back safely.
The accused man admitted to having sexual relations with Jaruwan that night. He claimed that the following day, Jaruwan demanded 1,000 baht from him, which he paid in exchange for her promise not to take legal action. He said he did not know why Jaruwan directed her anger at Meena.
Meena’s funeral concluded on Sunday, August 24. Her son, a soldier, temporarily entered the monkhood to make merit for his mother before resuming his duties along the Thai-Cambodian border.
Jaruwan’s family applied for her temporary release on bail on August 22, and the court approved the request.
ThaiRath reported today, August 26, that Meena’s relatives went to the Kamphaeng Phet Provincial Court to oppose the bail. While acknowledging that the accused had the legal right to apply, they expressed concern that Jaruwan might abscond or tamper with evidence.
The court rejected their objection, and the family accepted the ruling. No details of the next hearing or legal proceedings have yet been disclosed.
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