The Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced two teenage boys to two years each in prison for attempting to set fire to a police vehicle during an anti-government rally under an expressway over Din Daeng intersection in 2021.
Prosecutors told the court that Sakda Udomsri and Kanpirom Butkhot, described as “teenagers”, were students at the same school.
They were among an estimated 600 protesters who on Aug 11, 2021 left Victory Monument in a column heading for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s residence inside the barracks of the 1st Infantry Regiment on Vibhavadi Rangsit road.
As they went under the expressway over Din Daeng intersection, their way was blocked by riot police. Protesters threw things at the police and set fire to a police trailer truck, causing about 2.1 million baht damage.
Mr Sakda and Mr Kanpirom were charged with setting fire to police property and taking part in an illegal assembly with intent to cause unrest.
The prosecution showed a video clip from a Facebook page as evidence to support the charges against them. The two pleaded guilty.
Mr Sakda, who had been detained in prison, and Mr Kanpirom, who had been released on bail, were both in court for the judgement.
The court said although the two were seen in the video throwing burning objects at the police trailer truck, those objects did not set the vehicle on fire. Although the vehicle was later burned and damaged, the prosecution had no evidence to show that the two defendants started that fire.
The court found them guilty of violating the emergency decree and attempting to set fire to police property, and sentenced them each to four years in prison. The sentence was commuted to two years because they confessed. The sentence was not suspended.