The Appeal Court has sentenced a 32 year old caregiver, Wichuda “Som”, to five years in prison for swapping a three year old child under her care with another baby. The ruling follows an appeal against a lower court’s verdict, with the child’s mother still waiting to be reunited with her biological daughter.
In a case previously reported, Paveena Hongsakul from the Paveena Foundation for Children and Women, along with Chanjira Thaibandit from Chon Buri Social Development and Human Security, accompanied 24 year old Joy to meet Police Colonel Sarawut Nuchnarot, superintendent of Bang Lamung Police Station. They sought assistance in finding Joy’s biological daughter, who was allegedly swapped by Wichuda with another baby when she was just five months old. Police initially apprehended Wichuda, who was granted bail pending appeal.
On May 8, Wichuda arrived at Pattaya Provincial Court with her lawyer and relatives to hear the Appeal Court’s decision. At 1pm, the court upheld the initial verdict, sentencing her to 10 years, reduced to five upon her confession. Her lawyer re-applied for bail using the same security amount of 25,000 baht, though it remains unclear whether bail will be granted.
Som’s brother-in-law, Bee, said he did not believe she would sell Joy’s child. He described Som as kind-hearted and fond of children, noting she is a mother to four of her own, making child trafficking unlikely. Bee said Som had consulted him when the child went missing, though he was not present at the time. He has since supported her through court proceedings and arranged meetings with police. After the verdict, a despondent Som asked Bee to care for her four children. He remains convinced there was no malintent in her actions.
Joy said she was satisfied with the court’s decision but expressed frustration that Som had not revealed the truth during their court encounter.
“I would like to thank the lower court, the Appeal Court, Paveena, her team, the media, and the police for prosecuting the wrongdoer. I urge the media to help find my child and bring her back home,” she said.
The Paveena Foundation will continue coordinating with Bang Lamung Police Station to locate the missing child and reunite her with her mother, reported KhaoSod.
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