High court upholds cop's 1,765-year sentence

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the 1,765-year sentence handed to a Bangkok policeman for embezzling more than Bt512,000 in fines, but the prison term was reduced to the legal maximum of 50 years.

Pol Sergeant Kosol Jompol, 41, had been convicted of failing to deposit the fines into state bank accounts and keeping the money for himself on 353 occasions from February 10, 2003, to April 30, 2004, while he was an administrative officer in Bueng Kum district.

The primary court in November 2010 found Kosol guilty and sentenced him to 1,765 years behind bars. However, the term was halved because of his useful confession and then reduced to the maximum of 50 years. He was also ordered to return the fines to the state.

After the Appeals Court upheld the verdict last September, the defendant, who had been detained throughout the trial, appealed for leniency. He claimed that he did not realise the consequences of his actions, had no financial expertise, had an ailing mother to take care of and had already returned the funds to the state.

However, the Supreme Court saw no sufficient grounds for clemency.

At the verdict reading, Kosol appeared to be calm and emotionless upon hearing the decision, while no one from his family had come to attend.