Three Thai men sentenced to death for killing British engineer and his wife
- The bodies of Alan Hogg and his wife Nhot Suddaen were found buried on their property in Phrae province last September
- The court called the murders “an act that extremely damages the country’s reputation as unable to ensure the safety of lives and assets”
The bodies of retired petroleum engineer Alan Hogg, 64, and his wife Nhot Suddaen, 61, were found buried on their property in Phrae province last September.
The Phrae Provincial Court found Nhot’s older brother, Warut Rattanasajjakit, guilty of masterminding the couple’s murders and hiring two other men to help him carry out the attack. All three were found guilty of premeditated murder, concealing bodies, illegal possession of weapons without licenses and bringing those weapons into the city without licenses.
Police had accused Warut of plotting the murders in order to take control of Hogg’s assets and sell some of them.
According to the court’s ruling, Warut initially asked his neighbour, Suma Utpamoon, to assist him in the murders but Suma refused after learning that Warut sought to kill his own sister. However, Suma was still paid by Warut for recommending the two men to do the job and was charged by the court with assisting premeditated murder.
Suma received a 25-year prison sentence, which was halved from a 50-year penalty because he cooperated with the investigation.