Khon Kaen:The Court of Appeals Region 4 has delivered a ruling in the case against Somluck Kamsing, a former Olympic gold medalist, sentencing him to 1 year and 12 months in prison for child abduction and indecent acts involving a 17-year-old girl. The court upheld the conviction for these charges but overturned charges related to attempted rape and sexual assault. Additionally, Kamsing has been ordered to pay 200,000 baht in compensation to the victim.
According to Thai News Agency, the court spokesperson explained that the case might be ineligible for an appeal to the Supreme Court based on factual grounds unless permission is granted. This is due to the provisions under Section 219 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which restricts appeals on factual issues if the appellate court's ruling does not exceed certain sentencing thresholds.
Mr. Suriyan Hongvilai, spokesman for the Court of Justice, clarified that since the appellate court did not increase the defendant's sentence despite overturning part of the verdict, the case falls under the restrictions against factual appeals unless explicitly permitted by the involved judges. However, Kamsing retains the right to appeal on legal issues and has the option to apply for bail while awaiting any potential appeal process. The decision to grant bail will be at the discretion of the court.