Flawed police work exposed in Red Bull crash investigation
28 Mar 2016

Acting city police chief Sanit Mahathaworn updates the progress in the probe aimed to determine what and who cause the Red Bull heir's hit-and-run case to drag on for four years.

Police chief demands 'Red Bull' case facts
Bangkok’s acting police chief said Monday that Thong Lor police made an obvious error by not charging the Red Bull energy drink heir with drink driving after his 2012 hit-and-run accident, but their intent remained unclear.

"The initial investigation found an apparent flaw in the case file submitted to public prosecutors, as it did not a contain drink-driving charge but only speeding charges," Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathaworn told the media.

He said he was surprised that a charge of "drink after drive" was included instead.

"Why did it have this charge? It's not an offence. They began with drink-driving, but after the investigation they ended up with 'drink after drive'," he said.

National police chief Chakthip Chaijinda last week instructed Pol Lt Gen Sanit to determine why the case against Vorayudh "Boss" Yoovidhya was taking so long and to expedite it.

Mr Vorayudh, who reportedly fled the country, faces three charges in connection with the fatal incident early Sept 3, 2012 in which Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert, a Thong Lor traffic officer, was killed. The speeding charge was dropped after its one-year statute of limitations expired.

Mr Vorayudh was found to have had a blood alcohol concentration level of 64.8 milligrames per 100 millilitres of blood, which exceeds the legal limit of 50mg per 100ml. But his lawyer claimed the young billionaire drank alcohol after the fatal accident due to feeling stressed.

The prosecutors did not indict Mr Vorayudh for drink-driving either "because even though the alcohol test results exceeded the legal limit, they could not tell whether Mr Vorayudh drank before or after the accident, despite the test being conducted in the afternoon, according to a senior prosecutor previously in charge of the case, Ruecha Krairiksh.

Pol Lt Gen Sanit said the investigation would also target a senior police officer who took the Yoovidhyas' housekeeper to the Thong Lor police station allegedly to make him a scapegoat for Mr Vorayudh.

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