The court of Samui (southern Thailand) this Thursday postponed the hearing of Daniel Sancho until November 13 following the request of the young man, accused of the premeditated murder of the Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, to have a translator into Spanish, as confirmed by the court .
The hearing, which began at 9:00 a.m. local time (GMT 7), with the attendance of Sancho, was first postponed by the court for a few hours and then until November 13, due to the defendant's request to have an in-person hearing. Spanish translator.
The Prosecutor's Office presented its report to the court yesterday, in which it accuses Sancho of three crimes: premeditated murder, concealment of the body and destruction of other people's documentation, which were to be read to the Spaniard today at the hearing.
In addition to postponing it, the court assigned Sancho a court-appointed lawyer, Krit Sudthanom, who stated at the courthouse doors that he has not yet met with Sancho and that he will not do so until November 13.
The Spaniard, 29, had no lawyer in Thailand - where he can only be defended by a Thai lawyer - since September 7, after the accused's father, the Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, dispensed with the services of the Thai lawyer. Anan Chuayprabat for "discrepancies in defense"
According to the court-appointed lawyer, Sancho today refused to make any statement and conveyed his desire to have an in-person interpreter, after the court offered him one online.
Rodolfo Sancho was in court today and was able to speak with his son before he was transferred back to Samui prison, where he has been serving provisional detention since August 7.
The accused was then brought to justice, after confessing two days earlier on the neighboring island of Phangan to the murder and dismemberment of Arrieta, whose remains were scattered across the island and the sea.
Thailand's Penal Code provides for the death penalty for crimes such as premeditated murder, but if handed down, this is usually later commuted to life imprisonment.
On the other hand, the defendant's confession and cooperation can help significantly reduce the sentence.
The Police delivered their report to the Prosecutor's Office on October 3, after two months of investigating the alleged crime, which took place on August 2 in Phangan.
