A Thai couple were jailed today over the murder of an elderly Japanese man whose dismembered body was found stuffed into plastic bags in a canal outside of Bangkok last year.
A Bangkok court heard that Somchai Keawbangyang suffocated the bedridden Japanese victim, Yoshinori Shimato, 79, and then discarded pieces of his body in plastic bags in a canal in Samut Prakan province, which adjoins the Thai capital.
Somchai, 48, confessed to the murder, which prosecutors said took place between mid-September and October 13 last year.
He was initially given the death penalty, but this was reduced to life imprisonment due to his confession.
Somchai's wife Pornchanok Chaiyapa, who is also 48, confessed to emptying nearly USD 20,000 from the dead man's bank account using his ATM cards. She had been the victim's lover.
She denied being an accomplice to the murder, but was given a 20-year sentence for her part in the crime.
"Somchai killed Shimato due to his jealousy and it is believed that he dismembered his body after his death," the court verdict said.
"But there was no witness who saw Pornchanok colluding in the murder so the court gave her the benefit of the doubt," it added.
Shimato was in Thailand as a Japanese language teacher.
There are tens of thousands of Japanese workers in Thailand, many of whom are employed by car manufactures such as Toyota and Nissan who have major plants in the kingdom.
Swathes of Bangkok are dedicated to Japanese restaurants and karaoke bars specifically targeting expats from Japan.
