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Doctor jailed over liposuction death of schoolgirl |
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Friday, 16 November 2007 |
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The owner of a cosmetic surgery clinic in Bangkok has been jailed for four years for the death of a 17 year old schoolgirl girl during a liposuction procedure that was described by the court as reckless. In addition to the sentence for the manslaughter charge, Dr. Chalee Kanchanarak was given a consecutive sentence of three months for using drugs that had expired and should have been destroyed.
In December 2001, 17 year old schoolgirl Siriporn Muima visited Kanchanarak and told him that she had spent 50,000 Thai Baht on weight loss drugs that failed to work for her. At his suggestion, she subsequently agreed to undergo a liposuction procedure, without the consent or knowledge of her parents. Performing surgery on a minor without parental consent is a criminal offence in Thailand. The schoolgirl is also alleged to have stolen and sold some gold belonging to her parents, to pay Kanchanarak 30,000 Thai Baht for the surgery.
Following her death, the surgeon was arrested by Thai police and brought before the courts, which handed down a sentence of four years for the reckless manslaughter charge. When Kanchanarak appealed to the Thai Appeal Court, they upheld the sentence of the lower court and added three months for using expired prescription drugs in the procedure.
Kanchanarak's lawyer said that he will appeal this latest verdict, although his client remains in prison.
The parents of the schoolgirl will now commence civil proceedings againts Kanchanarak in a lawsuit, claiming damages and compensation of 13 million Baht.
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