Policeman gets 57 years for drunken gun rampage

– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

PHUKET: The Criminal Court yesterday gave a former crowd control policeman a total of 57 years and 10 months in prison for six cases in which he reportedly shot at motorists in Bangkok.

In one case, Police Lance Corporal Thirayu Phetchmeekha, 31, chased vehicles along Ratchadapisek road to Prachanukul intersection, Wong Sawang intersection and Rama 7 road, while firing a pistol at them. Six cars were damaged and a number of people injured.

Thirayu reportedly confessed to the December 2011 shootings. He said he was drunk and couldn’t control himself, an informed source reported.

Thirayu was dismissed from civil service after the shooting incident and has been remanded throughout the period of court trial.

— Phuket Gazette Editors