Almost five years have passed since Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya allegedly slammed his Ferrari into a Thonglor policeman, Pol. Sen. Sgt. Maj. Wichean Glanprasert, dragged his body along the road, and fled the scene, but what’s in a last name? The fatal hit-and-run case is yet another chapter in the comedy of errors that is the Thai justice system.
On Thursday, Boss, 32, failed to meet with prosecutors to hear charges for at least the sixth time now. The influential young man has never been arrested, despite years of skipping court dates claiming he was either sick or had to attend an event.
The delayed legal action has become an example of the impunity enjoyed by the country’s “rich kids.” Joining Boss in the file is Orachorn “Praewa” Thephasadin na Ayudhya, who avoided jail time and did fewer than 140 hours of community service after causing a car accident on Don Mueang tollway that killed nine people in 2010. Meanwhile, Janepop Weeraporn, a luxury car dealer, has not seen jail since slamming his Mercedes into a Ford Fiesta at an estimated speed of 200kph, killing two masters grads more than a year ago.
“The Thai jail is a place only for the poor,” has become a popular Thai saying and common headline in local media. Case in point is the infamous 15-year prison term given to an elderly couple in 2013 for collecting mushrooms in a protected forest in 2010. On the same level of nonsense, a garbage collector was ordered to pay a fine of THB133,400, about US$3,900, for selling used copyrighted VCD movies he found in the trash. He would have spent nearly two years in jail if it wasn’t for a donor who bailed him out.
But back in the land of the rich, Boss’s appointment with the prosecutor has simply been postponed yet again, with a new appearance now scheduled for April 28.
Since the accident, the Red Bull heir has kept a low-profile, but public Facebook posts by his relatives show Boss continuing to enjoy a jet-set life while wanted for a man’s death.
In January of this year, Boss was photographed at the Farnborough Airport, an airstrip for private jets, in Hampshire, England.
In December of 2016, Boss had a luxury Christmas feast with his family in London. Nice dog sweater.
In August of 2016, he enjoyed a pleasant dinner with friends.
A few days later, he fueled up the ol’ jet again for destinations unknown. Thumbs up for private planes!
Just a week later, he was spotted with his folks, watching a football game in a luxury box.
Nice birthday bash, bro? Boss celebrated his birthday in January 2016 with friends and family.
In April of 2015, Boss got behind the wheel of a driving game in Japan, probably a safer bet than the real road.
On Valentine’s Day of 2015, Boss was covered in the snow of Hokkaido, Japan, with his friends and family.
In November of 2014, Boss tore the club up on a night out. Interesting drop-crotch plaid shants suit, dude.
These photos were all found in public posts with a few hours worth of sleuthing. What they prove are two things: That this man continues to jet-set despite being wanted by the police for five years and that, if the police wanted to find him, they easily could. So, why aren’t they?
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