Photographs contradicting a Thai policeman's testimony that he didn't know the young British tourist couple he is charged with murdering are likely to be a crucial factor in the trial verdict, expected today, a lawyer for the victims said.
Sergeant Somchai Visetsingha is accused in the Sept. 9 deaths of Britons Adam Lloyd, 25, and Vanessa Arscott, 24, in the tourist town of Kanchanaburi, about 110km west of Bangkok.
Witnesses said that the incident began with a post-midnight argument between Lloyd and Somchai in a restaurant in Kanchanaburi.
In his original account -- which Somchai later said was given under duress -- the policeman said he drew his pistol and shot Lloyd in a fit of fury after the Briton spat in his face during an argument, but that he had not intended to kill Arscott, whom he unwittingly hit with his car as she tried to stop him from fleeing. He said he stopped his car and shot her in a panic.
That was the version he gave to police and the press after surrendering to authorities on Oct. 7 after a monthlong manhunt.
The court freed him Nov. 2 on bail of 1 million baht (US$25,000) and he later pleaded innocent in court, where he changed his testimony about his actions, claiming he did not kill the two tourists.
The change came after the court retained murder charges against Somchai -- which carry the death penalty -- rather than reducing the charges to non-capital crimes as Somchai had sought.
In his new version given in court testimony, Somchai claimed that one of his criminal informants -- he worked in the local drug squad -- had carried out the killings against his wishes. He was unable to identify the man except by a pseudonym.
The photos, which came from Arscott's camera and were turned over to her parents, show the policeman kissing her on the cheek and playfully horsing around with the couple.
The pictures, which were also published in the Sunday online edition of the British tabloid News of the World, are important evidence because they contradict Somchai's account that he was not acquainted with the couple before Lloyd allegedly struck him. That would discredit Somchai's testimony.
"That picture [of Somchai kissing Vanessa] was presented in court," Sanhawit Saimala, a lawyer for the families of Arscott and Lloyd, said Tuesday. "I believe that it should be enough for the court to find that he is guilty."
RSS