A policeman convicted of stealing more than 150 guns over a period of two years from a Nonthaburi police station has been sentenced to 270 years in prison but will serve a maximum of 50 years, authorities said yesterday.
The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Region 1 handed down the sentence to Chaowalit Phumkhachorn, a former crime suppression officer attached to Pak Kret Station, on March 21, said Kosolwat Inthujanyong, a deputy spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General.
The former senior sergeant-major was sentenced to life for thefts while serving as a state official; five years each on 28 counts of firearms possession; and six life terms for offences related to the firearms trade. The court reduced the sentence to 270 years, but the maximum term by law is 50 years.