A Thai court on Monday jailed a policeman who ran over and killed a pedestrian on a street crossing in the capital Bangkok, a case that caused outrage over the country’s appalling road safety record.
Off-duty police sergeant Norawit Buadok ran down Waralak Supawatjariyakul with his motorbike at high speed as she was crossing the road in front of the hospital where she worked as an eye doctor in January.
A video of the crash went viral on social media in Thailand, sparking anger and debate about pedestrian safety in a country with one of the world’s highest road traffic death rates.
A Bangkok criminal court on Monday sentenced Norawit to two years in jail for causing a death by speeding, plus a month for careless driving. He was also fined 8,000 baht ($235) for several minor offences.
His sentence was halved because he pleaded guilty, so he will serve one year and 15 days, and pay a fine of 4,000 baht ($120).
The accident triggered demonstrations in Bangkok calling for better protection for pedestrians on the city’s traffic-clogged roads.
Thailand has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world, according to a 2018 World Health Organisation report.