Landlord's regret, no remorse, uncle outstays welcome

Tenant turns brutal thief

No way to say thanks: Victim Chaiyon

An elderly man in Saraburi was beaten mercilessly and robbed by an ungrateful tenant whom he let stay on after he lost his job.

Ban Mo police were looking for a man identified as Rang, aged about 40, who tied up Chaiyon Ngernsantia, 65, in his home, beat him, and robbed him of his phone, cash and motorcycle.

Mr Chaiyon, who was taken to hospital by rescue workers after a neighbour sounded the alarm, lived alone but let Rang stay at another place of his about 40m away.

Rang had been living there about 12 months but when he lost his job and could no longer pay the rent, Mr Chaiyon let him stay on as long as he paid the water and power bill.

News reports say Rang had also robbed Mr Chaiyon on one previous occasion before the attack in his home, but the old man, whose sympathy appears to have known no bounds, forgave him.

On Dec 26, Rang, who neighbours suspect was involved in drugs, rewarded the old man’s generosity by tying his arms and legs with nylon cord, and beating him about the head with a blunt object. He took about 3,000 in cash, the old man’s phone, and stole his motorbike, which he used to flee the place.

His neighbour, Malai, 59, heard Mr Chaiyon’s calls for help as she was walking past and went to his aid. She called rescue workers, who took the victim to hospital.

While police are still piecing together what happened, Rang appears to have stabbed the victim, as he also severed an artery, causing heavy blood loss. The bridge of Mr Chaiyon’s nose also was broken in the beating.

Malai said she saw Rang enter the victim’s home and drive his motorbike away. A moment later, he returned.

“I assumed he was borrowing it. Later, I saw him leave again with the bike.”

After finding Mr Chaiyon tied up, she called his daughter, who lives in Tha Ruea, Ayutthaya. She travelled to Saraburi and visited her father in hospital where he is recovering.

Police, who are looking for the offender, say the attack was brazen, as it occurred in a busy community.

The grinning killer

A young man in Ayutthaya bashed an older friend over the head with a hammer, killing him, after finding him rifling through his stuff.

Uthai police nabbed Apirak Rodanukul, 23, for beating to death Apichat Inbuathong, 46.

Earlier the same night the pair had been drinking together, and were also spotted chasing each other around Mr Apirak’s home where the killing occurred.

Apichat was a frequent visitor at the house, and on the night of the attack the pair had fallen asleep after taking drugs and drinking kratom.

In the early hours of the next morning, Mr Apirak told police he woke to find the older man rifling through his belongings.

Suspecting him of theft, he picked up a nearby hammer and bashed him once over the head.

“I asked him what he was doing but he said nothing. When he refused to answer, it made me angry, so I struck him over the head a few more times until he lay on the ground motionless,” Mr Apirak said.

“I thought he was stealing my stuff,” he added, smiling as he spoke to reporters, seemingly unperturbed by what he had done.

One media report said the older man turned up uninvited, but CCTV evidence showed the victim following Mr Apirak back to his place following their drinking session outside a nearby shop.

Mr Apirak is a handyman who works locally; Mr Apichat, his victim, was unemployed.

Mr Apirak’s elder brother, Nattaphob, 27, said he was upstairs with his wife and child and didn’t hear any struggle.

When his daughter went downstairs early the next morning, she found them arguing, and called him.

“I raced down but it was too late. Apichat was already lying in a bloody heap,” he said.

His brother was unmoved by what he had done. “He merely asked me if he had been too brutal,” Mr Nattaphob said.

Apichat was taken to hospital but died later from his injuries.

Asked by reporters after his arrest whether he wanted to say sorry to the victim’s family, Mr Apirak replied: “No.”

Mr Nattaphob said his brother was involved in an accident some time ago. While his physical injuries healed, his mind had never been the same since, and the problem worsened when Mr Apirak started taking drugs.

Police tested his urine and found speed in his system. They charged him with assault causing death, and illicit drug use.

Too much face time

No remorse: Suspect Sannawat

A teen in Krabi shot his uncle because he was tired of him walking into his home as if it was his own.

Khao Phanom police nabbed Sannawat Yotsombat, 19, for shooting to death his uncle, Anurat Phethin, 43, at his home.

Mr Sannawat was sitting in a makeshift hut about 100m away when officers arrived.

Mr Sannawat and his mother live next door to their uncle’s place. However, despite having a place of his own, Anurat would come and go from their own place, the suspect said, sitting down uninvited for meals and on one occasion stealing petrol from their motorbike.

“He also liked to make trouble and threaten me,” the young man told police.

On the day of the shooting he picked up his grandfather’s shotgun, and walked to the back of the house where he found Anurat sitting playing with his phone.

He shot him once in the head. It is unclear if he and Anurat had words beforehand, but the victim, who did not die immediately from his head wound, seemed surprised.

Relatives saw him, covered in blood, walk to the front of the house. “Why did you shoot me?” he asked, before heading inside and collapsing. He was taken to hospital but died later from his injuries. After the shooting, Mr Sannawat’s mother took the gun and put it back inside their house.

She also called police, who arrested the young man. They are contemplating which charges he will face.