The court found both men guilty of manipulating evidence to help Vorayuth avoid prosecution for a speeding charge connected to a fatal 2012 hit-and-run incident. The case stems from an early morning crash on September 3, 2012, when Vorayuth’s Ferrari struck and killed police officer Wichien Klanprasert on Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Road.
While Vorayuth was initially charged with several offenses—including reckless driving causing death, failure to stop, and drunk driving—most charges were later dropped or expired under the statute of limitations. The trial focused on the dismissal of the speeding charge, which prosecutors alleged was based on falsified evidence intended to lower the vehicle’s recorded speed.
Originally estimated to be traveling at 177 km/h, the car’s speed was later revised to within the legal limit of 80 km/h based on testimony from an academic, Dr. Saiprasit Kerdniyom of King Mongkut Institute of Technology. This revision led to the dismissal of the charge. Dr. Saiprasit, along with former national police chief Pol Gen Somyot Poompanmuang and four others, was acquitted of any wrongdoing.
Naksuk and Chainarong are currently seeking bail, pending the court’s decision. The case has drawn widespread attention in Thailand and abroad due to the perceived impunity of influential figures. Vorayuth left Thailand on a private jet in 2017 and remains at large. Thai authorities continue to pursue international cooperation through Interpol to secure his arrest.
