A Swiss man was sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday for spray-painting graffiti over images of Thailand's revered king, the first conviction of a foreigner in at least a decade under strict Thai laws protecting the monarchy.
Oliver Rudolf Jufer, 57, who had pleaded guilty to five counts of lese majeste, or insulting the monarchy, had faced a maximum sentence of 75 years in prison. Shackled at the ankles and dressed in an orange prison uniform, Jufer was expressionless as the verdict was read and made no comment to reporters as he was ushered from the courtroom into a prison van.
Judge Phitsanu Tanbukalee told the court that Jufer was given a reduced sentence since he had admitted his wrongdoing. He has a month to appeal.
PHOTO: AP
Jufer was caught by surveillance cameras on Dec. 5 spray-painting black paint over five outdoor posters of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Chiang Mai, where he lived, police and prosecutors said.
According to earlier testimony read aloud in court yesterday, Jufer had been drinking with a friend that night and drove his motorcycle home to pick up a can of spray-paint, which he had bought to paint his dog house, court clerk Nahathai Bachai said.
He drove up to a municipal office where a large poster of the king was hung outside and climbed a ladder to spray paint over the image. He then defaced four other posters near his home, the testimony said.
Bhumibol is protected from reproach by strict laws that forbid any criticism of the monarchy.
The vandalism coincided with Bhumibol's 79th birthday, which was celebrated across Thailand with fireworks and prayers. Millions of portraits of the king, who is the world's longest serving monarch, were hung late last year around the country to honor his birthday.
Jufer, who has lived in Thailand for 10 years, faced a penalty of three to 15 years for each of the five posters he defaced.
Bangkok's Criminal Court said its national database, which goes back a decade, showed that no foreigner had been convicted of lese majeste charges in at least 10 years. A handful of foreigners have faced similar charges in the past, but most were eventually deported to their home countries.
Jufer's court-appointed lawyer, Komkrit Kunyodying, called the penalty "appropriate for the crime he has committed," adding he did not yet know if his client planned to appeal.
The Swiss embassy in Bangkok said that it respected the Thai justice system, but that the verdict was a "tough" one.
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