The Thai judiciary this morning postponed the hearing in which Daniel Sancho, the 29-year-old Spaniard who confessed to killing and dismembering Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta on the island of Phangan, wanted to hear what prosecutors accused him of. before a translator from Thai to Spanish was missing from the room. The court on the island of Samui, where the young man has been detained since August 7, has assigned him a court-appointed lawyer because he lacked local legal representation as the defendant’s father, Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho (who lives in Thailand ), declined the services of Thai lawyer Anan Chuayprabat due to “disagreements in the defense.” The performance has been postponed to November 13th. The public prosecutor’s office, which presented its final report on the crime yesterday, accuses the Spaniard of premeditated murder, concealing the body and destroying other people’s documents. The first crime is punishable by death in Thailand.
The hearing in the Samui Court began early in the morning on the island in the presence of Sancho, who had to answer whether he accepted or rejected the charges brought against him by the Public Ministry. Once it started, the judges postponed it for a few hours, but then suspended it until November 13 because the defendant had requested to have a Thai-Spanish translator in person. This is the second time that Sancho has appeared in person in court since entering the makeshift prison, as on other occasions also via videoconference.
Daniel Sancho, accompanied by several police officers on August 7, the day of his detention. SOMKEAT RUKSAMAN (EFE)
This morning’s court order also allowed the court to assign a public defender to the young man. The chosen lawyer, Krit Sudthanom, told the court this morning that he had not yet met with Sancho and that he would only do so on November 13th. The 29-year-old Spaniard has not had a lawyer in Thailand (where he can only be defended by a local lawyer) since September 7th. The prisoner’s family has hired lawyer Marcos García Montes in Spain.
Sancho, whose case received wide coverage in the Spanish press, has been in temporary custody in Samui prison since August 7, having been arrested two days earlier on the neighboring island of Phangan after confessing to the murder and dismemberment of a Colombian surgeon , whose remains were scattered in garbage containers on the island and in the sea.
Thailand’s penal code provides for the death penalty for crimes such as premeditated murder, but if this is imposed it is usually later commuted to life imprisonment. On the other hand, the defendant’s confession and cooperation can help significantly reduce the sentence, as the judge himself reminded Sancho on August 7 when he was brought to trial. Police handed over their report to prosecutors on October 3 after two months of investigating the alleged crime, which took place in Phangan on August 2.
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Krit Sudthanom, the court-appointed attorney assigned to Sancho this morning. SITTHIPONG CHAROENJAI (EFE)