Russian drunk driver charged as woman in hospital
Last night (Sept 12) Russian man faces serious charges which may incur years in jail for a drunk-driving accident in Rawai that left a local woman in the hospital with head injuries.
Russian national Julian Ranmer, 35, as named by police, was charged with drunk driving after he initially refused to take a breath test after he rolled his car on the main road through Saiyuan last night.
At the scene officers found a white Honda Jazz overturned in the middle of the road, with a damaged white Honda Wave motorbike lying just meters away. The motorbike driver, Ampa Hnuon, 36, had suffered head injuries and was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital. A white Mazda CX5 sedan parked beside the road was also damaged. “Mr. Ranmer was driving at high speed and lost control of the vehicle, which struck the Mazda CX5 sedan parked beside the road,” Lt Sakkarin explained.
Under new drunk driving penalties introduced in 2015, drunk driving incurs up to one year imprisonment or a fine of B5,000 to B20,000 or both, and driver’s license suspended for six months, while drunk driving causing bodily or mental harm to others may incur one to five years imprisonment or a fine of B20,000 to B100,000 or both, and driver’s license suspended for up to one year.
However, the more grievous charge of drunk driving causing serious injury to others may incur two to six years imprisonment or a fine of B40,000 to B120,000 or both, and driver’s license suspended for up to two years.
Drunk driving causing death may incur three to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of B60,000 to B200,000 and the driver’s license will be revoked. Phuket News
