Thailand’s cabinet has recently rejected a proposal from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to abolish the death penalty. Picture: Per-Anders Pettersson / Liaison / AFP
A Thai man has been sentenced to death, and two Germans received life sentences for the brutal murder of a German real estate broker near Pattaya, Thailand, according to local media reports.
The Pattaya Provincial Court handed down the death penalty to Shahrukh Karim Uddin, a Thai citizen of Pakistani descent, for the murder of 62-year-old Peter Ralter Mack in July 2023, as reported by the Bangkok Post. Uddin is a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
Mack’s dismembered body was discovered wrapped in tape and hidden in a freezer at a home in a Pattaya suburb in Chonburi province by detectives who had been following up on security camera footage.
Mack had gone missing after telling his wife he was meeting another real estate agent. His family later suspected he had been kidnapped. The slaying shocked the public and hit international headlines
The police arrested Uddin and German nationals Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann and Petra Christl Grundgreif. During questioning, the trio denied their involvement. However, the police handling the case confirmed they had obtained sufficient evidence to indict them for premeditated murder and concealing the victim’s body. The court found all three guilty.
Evidence revealed that the group planned to dump Mack’s body at sea. They transferred 3.35 million baht (about $98,000) from his bank account.
The court initially handed down death sentences on Friday to all three defendants involved in the murder. Brinkmann and Grundgreif confessed to the crime during the trial, and their sentences were reduced from capital punishment to life in prison as a result. Uddin maintained his innocence.
Thailand’s cabinet has recently rejected a proposal from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to abolish the death penalty.
Thaiger reported that deputy government spokesperson Kharom Polpornklang explained that the government supports the courts’ stance that capital punishment is necessary for certain serious crimes.
The NHRC had urged the country to join the global movement against the death penalty. It argued it’s an overly harsh form of punishment. Their proposal, presented during a seminar marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty, included a four-step plan to gradually end capital punishment in Thailand.
*Additional reporting by AFP
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