Bangkok: The Criminal Court sentenced Teacher Preecha and "Crazy Aunt Binn" to six months in prison without suspension of sentence in a case of filing a false police report leading to another person being punished in the 30 million baht lottery scandal. Today, at the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road, courtroom 906, the court was set to hear the verdict in the Preecha Kraikruan lottery case, case number A.3448/2567. The Public Prosecutor's Office, Criminal Division 6, acted as the plaintiff, filing charges against Mr. Preecha Kraikruan, or Teacher Preecha, and Ms. Rattanaporn Suphathip, or "Jae Ba Bin," for the offenses of jointly making false statements and giving false testimony, causing damage to the public or others.
According to Thai News Agency, the indictment summarized the offense as follows: Between the night of November 2, 2017, and November 28, 2017, the two defendants jointly made false statements to Police Lieutenant Jirayuth Chachrinkul, an investigating officer at the Mueang Kanchanaburi Police Station. Specifically, Defendant 1 stated that on October 31, 2017, at approximately 4:00 PM, he purchased five lottery tickets for the November 1, 2017, draw number 41, from Defendant 2, a lottery ticket vendor at Red City Market. Subsequently, Defendant 2 informed Defendant 1 that the lottery tickets purchased under the number 533726 had won the first prize. Defendant 1 then went to check the lottery tickets but could not find them, leading to the filing of a police report as evidence for further action, with Defendant 2 signing as a witness.
On October 20, 2017, Defendant 2 received a phone call from Defendant 1 requesting lottery tickets with the last digits 726 before the draw. On October 31, 2017, Defendant 1 picked up the ordered lottery tickets. After the announcement of the lottery results, the first prize number was 533726, which Defendant 2 confirmed was sold to Defendant 1. When Defendant 1 could not find the lottery ticket, a complaint was filed to recover the missing property, with Defendant 2 testifying as a witness.
Defendant 1 later claimed ownership of five lottery tickets from the November 1, 2017 draw, with the number 533762, as stolen property, alleging purchase from Defendant 3. It was revealed that the winnings were cashed by Police Lieutenant Colonel Jaroon Wimoon, or Uncle Jaroon, the victim. Defendant 1 attempted to negotiate a settlement with Police Lieutenant Colonel Jaroon, but no agreement was reached, leading to a police report against him for theft.
In reality, on October 31, 2017, Defendant 1 did not purchase any lottery tickets for the November 1, 2017 draw. Defendant 1 was neither the possessor nor the owner of the said lottery ticket. The defendants conspired to make false statements to the investigating officer, causing damage to Police Lieutenant Jaroon Wimoon, constituting making false statements about a criminal offense with the intention of falsely accusing the victim of theft. They caused the investigating officer to record false information in an official document for evidence purposes. The court requested punishment for these offenses. The defendants pleaded not guilty and were released on bail.
Subsequently, the Criminal Court sentenced Mr. Preecha and Mrs. Rattanaporn to six months in prison without suspension of sentence for filing a false police report that led to another person being punished.