A 14 year old boy, who allegedly carried out a shooting rampage at Bangkok’s Siam Paragon shopping centre last October, is to remain at a psychiatric facility.
The Bangkok Post reports that the unnamed boy’s parents have agreed to keep him in treatment, after the authority of the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection to detain him ended on Sunday, December 31.
Three people died in the shooting at the Siam Paragon Mall on October 3 – a Thai person, one Chinese national, and one Burmese national. Four other people were injured, including a Chinese tourist and a worker from Laos.
According to Prayut Pecharakhun from the Office of the Attorney-General, the police were unable to submit their report to public prosecutors by Sunday evening, which was the deadline for the teenager’s continued detention at the Galya Rajanagarindra Institute in Bangkok.
Prosecutors have told police that the summary of their investigation into the shooting lacks an “adequate mental health assessment” of the boy. Submitted on December 20, the summary confirmed the charges, which include premeditated murder, possession of a firearm, and bringing and using a firearm and ammunition to a public place without permission.
However, prosecutors concluded that police had submitted it prematurely, prior to receiving a mental health assessment for the teenager. Doctors treating the 14 year old have determined that he is mentally ill and needs “ongoing treatment until he is no longer a danger to society”, according to Prayut.
Following the shooting, it’s understood that police initially took the teenager for a psychiatric rehabilitation, based on evidence that he was suffering from mental health problems. However, they then decided to press charges on November 3, leaving no time for the psychiatric facility to provide an assessment.
The Bangkok Post reports that police also failed to discuss the boy’s condition with doctors prior to pressing charges.
On November 21, the treatment facility released an assessment which suggests the teenager was unable to comprehend the charges he faces. He was also unable to communicate effectively or to regulate his emotions.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
