Asia-Pacific News

Thai "ripper" gets death sentence commuted to life

Dec 28, 2011, 2:39 GMT

Bangkok - The Bangkok Appeals Court has commuted a death sentence to life in prison for a man who allegedly killed five women over a five month period, media reports said Wednesday.

The appeals court ruled to reduce Somkid Phumphuang's previous death conviction for strangling Phongphan Sapchai on September 19, 2005, after he confessed to the murder, the Bangkok Post reported.

Somkid had originally told polcie he had killed Phongphan because she irked him by asking for money after they had sex.

He later retracted his confession, and was sentenced to death by a lower court, which also found him guilty of stealing Phongphan's jewelry and mobile phone. On Tuesday, at the Appeals Court, Somkid confessed again to the murder.

The lower court also found Somkid guilty of four other murders, including three alleged sex workers and one nightclub singer.

Somkid's choice of victims earned him the nickname of 'Thailand's Jack the Ripper,' after London's notorious prostitute slayer.