Swedish father demands justice as Chinese driver remains free following son's death
A Swedish father demanded justice as a Chinese driver allegedly responsible for his son's death remains free despite an arrest warrant.
Christer Singstrand and his Thai wife, Saitharn, walked to Thailand's Crime Suppression Division (CSD) in Bangkok on September 17 to seek action against the officers handling the case.
Footage shows the grieving dad carrying a portrait of their youngest son, Tommy Boulanger, as the couple walked to the police office.
Fighting back tears as he spoke to reporters, the emotional father said: 'He is my son. He is my son, and he deserves justice. All I want is for the Thai justice system to finally hold the perpetrator accountable.'
Tommy, a footballer of Thai-Swedish heritage, was riding his motorcycle on Phatthanakan Road in Pattaya when he was allegedly struck by a Chinese driver Wang Xian on February 20.
The Chinese man was said to have reversed out of a restaurant and cut in front of the youngster at a U-turn. The crash reportedly left Tommy critically injured, while the suspect fled the scene without offering assistance.
The teenager remained in a coma before dying on February 27. The incident left his parents with more than 1.2 million baht in medical and funeral expenses.
His parents have accused police of failing to properly investigate, saying they had to collect evidence themselves.
An arrest warrant for Wang was reportedly issued in March on a charge of reckless driving causing death.
But the family claim the suspect remained at large for more than seven months despite police knowing where he lived.
They said they plan on filing charges of dereliction of duty against the police, under Section 157 of the Thai Criminal Code. The offence is punishable with between one and 10 years in prison, a fine of 20,000 to 200,000 baht, or both.
Tearful mother Saitharn questioned why the case has not progressed in seven months.
She said: ‘When I went to ask about the status of the case, I received no answer. Instead, it felt like I was being pushed away and told that it was in the process.
‘I don't know what process they mean. All the arrest warrant documents are complete.'
The couple said they had petitioned the Chonburi Provincial Police Commander the previous day before taking their complaint to the CSD.
