Man throws 10 year old boy into Chon Buri reservoir, victim drowns
A man has been accused of throwing a 10 year old boy into a reservoir in Chon Buri causing him to drown. The suspect’s grandmother, however, does not believe the accusation, adding that her grandson suffers from mental health problems and would not hurt a fly.
The incident happened at Huay Shark Nork Reservoir on the Tung Klom-Tarn Man Road in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri yesterday at about 3pm. The spot where the boy drowned was reported to be about five metres deep and 10 metres from the bank.
Officers from Nong Prue Police Station and volunteer divers from Sawang Boriboon Meang Pattaya Rescue Team rushed to the scene. They discovered several locals diving in search of the boy but could not find him. The divers managed to find the boy’s body after about 10 minutes.
The rescue team reported that the boy did not have any wounds and estimated he had been underwater for 30 minutes before being discovered.
The victim’s 38 year old father was inconsolable upon discovering his son’s lifeless body. He tried to wake him up but to no avail.
Two children, aged 10 years old, who went to the reservoir with the victim told police that their friend asked the suspect, 28 year old Autthapon, about the depth of the water.
Autthapon did not respond to the question but approached the victim, picked him up, and took him to a deeper section of the reservoir. The children explained that their friend was able to stand in the water at chest level before he slipped and drowned in front of Autthapon.
Despite the victim’s desperate pleas for help, Autthapon ignored him. The older man then allegedly got out of the water, climbed on his bicycle and set off leaving the victim behind.
Upon investigation, the police later arrested Autthapon at his house, which was approximately 1 kilometre away from the incident scene. However, Autthapon denied all allegations against him.
The victim’s family members followed the police to Autthapon’s house and attacked him in anger. The officers took him to the police station to prevent any further conflict.
The 68 year old suspect’s grandmother spoke to the police and expressed her disbelief that her grandchild could commit such a heinous act. She claimed that Autthapon has mental health problems but has never attacked anyone before. She believed that it was merely an accident that occurred while Autthapon was playing with the children.
The police initially charged Autthapon with negligence that caused another person to die, which carries a penalty of imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 200,000 baht. His mental health issues will be taken into account during the trial, and ultimately the penalty will be considered by the court.
