Police convicted of viral torture video found dead in jail

A former Thai police chief who was imprisoned for life three years ago for torturing a drug suspect until death has been found dead in his Bangkok prison cell, authorities said.

Thitisan Utthanaphon, who was nicknamed Joe Ferrari for his many luxury cars, died for suicide, according to a preliminary autopsy.

In 2021, a filtered video showed Thitisan and his colleagues wrapping plastic bags around the head of a 24 -year drug suspect during an interrogation, which led to the death of the suspect.

The video caused national outrage at that time on police brutality in Thailand. He has made new rounds on social networks following Thitisant’s death.

The Thailand Ministry of Justice launched an investigation into his death after his family expressed doubts that he committed suicide. More evidence was needed to confirm that he had died in suicide, authorities said.

Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said on Monday that all tests related to Thitisant’s death should be revealed and urged prison authorities to cooperate with researchers.

The family said that Thitisant was previously attacked by a member of the prison staff. They said that officials did not allow them to see their body, which was found in their cell on Friday.

But on Sunday, the authorities said that “no prison officer or internal has damaged or caused (his) death.”

An anterior raid at Thitisant’s house revealed that he owned a dozen luxury sports athletes. The authorities believe that he owned at least 42, one of them a rare Anniversary of Lamborghini Aventador, of which only 100 were made, with a price of Thailand to 47 million baht ($ 1.45 million; £ 1.05m).

As a police colonel, Thitisant was paid around $ 1,000 per month.

There were accusations that he demanded bribes of the suspect in the viral video, Jirapong Thanopat, while suffocating him. Thitisant denied this.

Thitisant surrendered in 2021 after a human hunt.

In addition to Thitisant, five other police officers were convicted of murdering Jirapong and were also sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022.

“It’s as if he had paid the karma he committed,” said Jirapong’s father in an interview in the local media on Saturday.

The corrections department said they had been investigating a previous complaint filed by Thitisant’s family claiming that he had been intimidated and attacked by prison officers earlier this year.

Thitisant had consulted doctors about anxiety problems and sleeping problems, the department said.

His family visited him the day he died and prison staff did not notice any “abnormalities,” he said.

If you have been affected by any of the problems raised in this article, you can visit the BBC line of action to get help.