Thai man arrested for assaulting ex-girlfriend, citing black magic, concealing HIV
Police in Samut Prakan province near Bangkok arrested a Thai man for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, accusing her of concealing her HIV-positive status and casting a black magic spell on him.
The woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, filed a complaint against her 30 year old ex-boyfriend, Nattawut, accusing him of stealing a CCTV camera from her house, assaulting her, and causing distress to her family.
Officers from the Mueang Phra Samut Chedi Police Station apprehended Nattawut at his rented residence on Soi Pracha Uthit 101 in Bangkok on November 17. While Nattawut admitted to causing trouble for his ex-girlfriend and her family, he denied physically assaulting her.
Nattawut’s 60 year old mother, Sathita, defended her son, claiming he was a good person but had been using drugs for five years. She said the couple was together for nine years after meeting on Facebook, and her son supported his ex-girlfriend, who was unemployed.
Sathita denied her son had ever hurt the woman, stating that if he had, the family would have heard the noises as they were home daily. She added that Nattawut even allowed his father to hit him during arguments to protect his girlfriend, insisting her son loved the woman deeply.
The mother further alleged that the ex-girlfriend and her mother admitted to casting a black magic spell on Nattawut, which she claimed made him more aggressive. Sathita demanded that the ex-girlfriend and her mother reverse the alleged spell. Sathita also accused the woman of hiding her HIV-positive status and infecting her son.
Police not convinced
Nattawut confessed to using methamphetamine, commonly known as Yaba, on the day of the incident. He admitted to disturbing his ex-girlfriend but maintained he did not physically harm her. He claimed he acted out of jealousy after learning another man was pursuing her.
On the day of the incident, Nattawut reportedly took his ex-girlfriend to collect her HIV medication. However, she allegedly jumped off his motorcycle and accused him of assaulting her.
Police were not convinced by Nattawut’s and his mother’s claims and charged Nattawut with the following offences:
- Section 335 of the Criminal Law: committing theft at night. The penalty is imprisonment from one to five years and a fine from 20,000 to 100,000 baht.
- Section 295 of the Criminal Law for physically assaulting another person, resulting in both physical and mental harm. The penalty carries up to two years of imprisonment, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.
- Section 397 of the Criminal Law: bullying, oppressing, threatening, causing embarrassment, and causing annoyance to another person. The penalty is a fine of up to 5,000 baht.
