What does life imprisonment mean in Thailand? The sentence given to Daniel Sancho for Edwin Arrieta’s murder
In theory, this means the convicted person will spend the rest of their life in prison. However, the Thai penal system allows for certain reductions.
The Provincial Court of Koh Samui in southern Thailand has sentenced Daniel Sancho of Spain to life imprisonment for murdering and subsequently dismembering Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta on August 2, 2023.
The Thai court found Sancho guilty of the three crimes for which he was tried: premeditated murder, dismemberment and concealment of the corpse, and the destruction of the victim’s passport.
READ ALSO: Wade Wilson, the ‘Deadpool Killer’, is sentenced to death
Possibilities of Sancho to appeal
Of the three charges, Sancho has only admitted to one, concealing the body, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison. He has also been sentenced to pay 106,000 euros ($117,400) in compensation to the family of the deceased, as they depended on him financially.
According to legal sources who spoke to the news agency EFE, there are two possible avenues of appeal for the parties- one to the Court of Appeals and another to the Supreme Court. The appeal process usually takes a year. Childhood friends and family of Arrieta have expressed their satisfaction with the ruling.
READ ALSO: He hides his mother’s corpse in the freezer to collect pension
Sancho avoids the death penalty
This decision has ruled out the death penalty, a possibility that is also considered by Thai legislation for serious cases. During the reading of the verdict, Sancho was accompanied by his parents, actor Rodolfo Sancho and Silvia Bronchalo, and his legal team.
Life imprisonment is a grave sentence- in theory, it means the convicted person will spend the rest of their life in prison. However, the Thai penal system allows for certain sentence reviews and reductions under specific conditions.
READ ALSO: Ex-detective indicted on murder committed in 2021
The meaning of Sancho’s sentence
A life sentence does not always mean a lifetime behind bars. Under Thai law, a person sentenced to life imprisonment can apply for a review of their sentence after serving 10 years.
The length of the time in jail would depend on a number of factors, including the prisoner’s behavior and royal approval of a commutation by the monarchy or the judiciary. In cases of good behavior, some prisoners have had their sentences reduced to 20 or 25 years.
However, such reductions are not guaranteed and are subject to approval by the relevant authorities. Sancho will almost certainly now be transferred to the maximum security Bang Kwang prison north of Bangkok, one of the most overcrowded jails in the country.