PHUKET CRIME

Wednesday, July 17, 2002

Boys, 11 and 12, arrested for burglaryWICHIT: Three schoolchildren became burglars because their pocket money wasn’t enough, they told the Gazette on Monday.
Twelve-year-old “Pring”, one of the accused sixth-graders, said, “Twenty baht isn’t enough. I asked mom for extra money, but she said no.”
The trio were caught after allegedly burglarizing two houses in the same neighborhood, one of them twice.
Pring, 11-year-old “Kob”, and 12-year-old “Deer” first allegedly broke into a house in Moo 1, Soi Baan Suan Muangthong Thani, Tambon Wichit, on July 6. The following day they broke into it again. In all they stole 33 items from the house.
A couple of days later, Phuket Town police received a telephone call from the resident of a nearby house to say that it had also been broken into.
Pol Maj Banjong Amarit, who already knew the three boys – he had cautioned them for stealing in the past – went to a local school and discovered that Deer had been absent from school on the day of the third robbery.
Deer confessed immediately that he and his two friends had committed the break-ins and had stolen cash, jewelry, watches and a variety of other items.
Pring told the Gazette he wanted the money to play video games and to buy food, among other things. “Sometimes, I need extra money because I have to practice soccer with my friends. I asked mom for the money, but she turned me down.”
Two-time robbery victim Kanchai Muksika told the Gazette that the youngsters broke in through the roof of his house. “It’s pretty weird that they broke in two nights in a row because normally, a thief will never steal from the same place twice,” he said.
After the robberies, Kob asked a 14-year-old high school student who lived nearby to hold some items. She allegedly passed the items to Somboon Jaroenporn, 42, who in turn gave them to a niece, Sudjai Buapetch, 28.
The two adults have been charged with receiving stolen goods while the three sixth-graders are to appear before a children’s court, charged with theft.

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