Once again, Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya failed to meet with public prosecutors to acknowledge charges in connection with the high-profile hit-and-run accident in which he allegedly killed a Thonglor policeman in 2012.
No reason was provided for the 31-year-old suspect’s failure to appear, and the prosecutors heard nothing from his lawyers.
However, Thonglor police will arrange a new meeting and Vorayuth will have one more chance to report himself. If he fails again, authorities will issue a warrant for his arrest, according to Sutthi Kittisupaporn, chief of the Department of Southern Bangkok Criminal Litigation.
The next meeting is expected to be scheduled within 30 days, but Vorayuth’s lawyers could seek a postponement by citing a proper reason, such as a medical emergency, Bangkok Post reported.
In the early hours of Sept. 3, 2012, Vorayuth allegedly rammed his Ferrari in to Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Wichian Klanprasert’s motorcycle on Sukhumvit Soi 47, killing the officer.
The incident involved Wichian being dragged about 200 meters down the road.
Vorayuth reportedly fled the scene and was arrested several hours later at his home on Sukhumvit Soi 53.
Video footage from security cameras suggested that Vorayuth might have been driving at up to 170kph when the accident took place.
He faced three charges: speeding, reckless driving causing death, and failure to stop his car to help the victim. The speeding charge was dropped after its one-year statute of limitations expired.
The charges for reckless driving causing death and failure to stop his car to help the victim won’t expire until 2027.
The Red Bull heir case, despite being the among the most high-profile car accidents in Thai history, has not progressed in three years. In March, another wealthy Thai, Jenphop Weeraporn, drove at an estimated speed of over 200 kph and crashed his Mercedes into another vehicle, killing two students.
Following Jenphop’s case, the police were urged to speed up the investigation on the Red Bull heir.
