Long jail terms for Krabi tourist killers

KRABI (AFP): The two teenagers arrested for the murder of an Australian tourist in Krabi have received long jail terms after a nine-hour court session in which both pleaded guilty. The older of the two, 19-year-old Pairoj Yoamyat, was initially sentenced to death for robbing and murdering Cheree Cobcroft, 24, whose naked body was found tied to a stake near Kaew Krowararam temple in Krabi Town on December 14. His sentence was commuted to life in view of his plea of guilty. His 15-year-old accomplice was sentenced to 50 years in jail, but his sentence, too, was reduced – to 27 years, in light of his age. The two were arrested at Rajabhat Phuket Institute on Christmas Day when they went to the college to visit Pairoj’s uncle, who is a security guard there. Amnuay Thanthara, chief magistrate at Krabi court, said the court refused to grant the boys further leniency on the grounds that the case could seriously affect the tourism industry, a major foreign exchange earner for Thailand.