Drug-addicted Thai man lynched after attempted rape

A 17 year old Thai teenager and locals in the central province of Ayutthaya lynched a drug addict after he attempted to rape the teen’s mother.

Officers from Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Police Station were alerted to the death of 38 year old drug addict Yuranan on the night of July 20. On arrival, officers found Yuranan lying face down on the second floor of the house.

Yuranan was wearing a black tank top and sarong. His arms and legs were bound with rope. He had wounds and bruises all over his body.

The 17 year old teenager confessed to kicking Yuranan in the neck and punching him repeatedly in anger after he tried to rape his mother. He also asked neighbours living nearby to help him catch Yuranan and they joined in the assault.

According to the teenager, Yuranan lived near his house. He broke into his house in the middle of the night and rushed into his mother’s bedroom. She heard his mother screaming and came to her aid.

Police told Channel 7 that Yuranan was a drug addict and had committed similar crimes several times before. His body was taken to the Pathum Thani Provincial Institute of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.

The teenager was charged with assault resulting in death. He was temporarily released as he did not show any signs of trying to evade arrest. Other people present at the scene were summoned for questioning.

The teenager should be charged under Section 290 of the Criminal Law: attacking another person leading to death. The penalty is imprisonment for three to 15 years. However, the legal punishment may be different in the case of a young criminal and the circumstances surrounding the case.

In a related case, police cancelled a reenactment of the attempted rape and murder of a two month old baby in the northern province of Chiang Rai, fearing that the suspect would be lynched by more than 200 locals in the area.

The suspect attempted to sexually assault the 20 year old victim but she refused. In anger, the suspect stormed into her house and killed her baby girl by throwing her on the floor.

Another similar case occurred last year when locals in the northern province of Chiang Mai attempted to lynch a 30 year old Thai man who raped and robbed a 74 year old victim. Police had to change the location of the reenactment for his safety.