Thailand’s Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases will decide punishment for the seven so-called ‘Joe Ferrari’ police on June 8. The seven former police officers allegedly suffocated a drug suspect to death with a plastic bag. They face four charges: malfeasance, abuse of authority, torture causing death, and coercion. The victim’s parents have demanded 1.55 million baht from the seven former police, to compensate for the death of their son.
Four of the officers pretended to be drug customers before taking the victim and his wife to a room in the compound of the police station for interrogation in Nakhon Sawan. The interrogation leader was nicknamed Joe Ferrari due to his luxurious, wealthy lifestyle. A video then emerged on social media of the victim suffocating with his head covered in a plastic bag, while the officers tried to extort two million baht from him. He was officially pronounced dead the next day.
All seven former officers claim they did not intend do kill the victim. The ruling for the officers will be announced in the morning on June 8. Closing statements from both sides will be delivered within 30 days from Thursday.
Earlier this month, Joe Ferrari called for human rights observers to be blocked from attending his trial for torture and murder.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post