The Ratchada Criminal Court at first sentenced 35-year-old Mohammad Arif to death, but reduced the punishment because his confession "was useful" to the case.

The court also ordered Arif to pay Bt2 million in compensation, Bt150,000 funeral expenses, and Bt30,000 for the victim's valuables he stole to the parents of Dissanee Thongnarkthae, an English language teacher from Ubon Ratchathani.

Such courtorder payments to the victim's family will be subjected to the 7.5 per cent interest rate per year until full payment is made.

According to the lawsuit, on May 7 last year, Dissanee had flown from Ubon Rathcathani to Bangkok to meet Arif - who had told her he was "a handsome Spanish man" - in the flesh after they had chatted over the Internet from April to May.

The two met at Racha Palace Hotel. Arif then killed Dissanee, dismembered her, put the body parts in travel bags to be dumped elsewhere, before he left with the victim's valuables worth Bt30,000, the lawsuit said.

On the night of May 8, the travel bag with Dissanee's torso and head was found in roadside bushes along Soi Ramkhamhaeng 24. Witnesses said were dumped by a tall foreigner. The discovery was aired on Jor Sor 100 traffic radio station, leading to taxi driver Boonyuen Sriprasong, who had given Arif a ride, tipping police off to Arif's whereabouts leading to the arrest. The rest of the body parts, stuffed in a suitcase, were found in a canal later on.

Following the arrest, Arif led police to his hotel room where a toy pistol made of plastic, three knives, a rope, a bloodstained bed sheet, as well as Dissanee's camera and ring were found. Police later took Arif to his room at an apartment building in Huai Kwang area where they found pants soaked with blood.

Arif - who at first denied the charges - later confessed to killing Dissanee and disposing her body parts in Klong Nam Kaew.

He said was they had chatted on the Internet and phone before agreeing to meet at Don Muang Airport. Arif promised to pay for her travel expenses. When she arrived on May 7, they had a meal and shopped before coming back to the hotel room and had sex, Arif said. She then demanded money for the plane ticket and asked him to take her to Pattaya, which he refused, leading to a heated argument.

Arif said that he in a fit of rage, he smothered her with a pillow, strangled her, and went out to buy knives and travel bags to dismember her body.

Arif claimed to have acted out of "impulsive rage" and asked the court to give him a light sentence and to lower the compensation. The victim' family had initially demanded for Bt5.3 million.

The court considered the evidence and witnesses  who identified Arif as the man who disposed of the travel bag, bought the knives at Big C Store  and found Arif guilty of killing Dissanee.

The court said the defendant's claim that he killed Dissanee following a heated argument was unconvincing because a hotel maid said she did not hear a fight but only the television. Arif was also ordered to pay the victim's family a total of Bt2.180 million plus 7.5 per cent interest until the payment is made.

Kesinee Tangkhiew

The Nation