Chiang Mai policeman gets 16 months in jail for cruelty in Tia’s case

The Court of Appeals Region 5 sentenced a police officer to one year and four months in jail for the brutal killing of Chiang Mai University’s beloved dog Tia (Shorty). 

The court originally sentenced Pol Corporal Prinya Panyabutre to one year and six months in prison for animal cruelty and another six months for theft, but reduced it to one year and four months retroactively. The court also ordered Prinya to pay 100,000 baht to Chiang Mai University in compensation. 

Saban-nga Nontara, founder of the Watchdog Thailand Foundation, said she was satisfied by the ruling and pleased that justice has finally been served for the beloved dog. “I want this case to set a social precedent, so people know that animal abuse will not be tolerated and that everything is protected by law,” she said. 

The case dates back to May 7, 2020, when the body of Tia, an 8-year-old mixed-breed male dog, was found outside the university campus. An autopsy revealed that the dog may have been beaten. Footage from the university’s CCTV showed Prinya taking Tia out of the campus on a motorbike. 

On July 25, 2023, the Chiang Mai Court sentenced Prinya to six months in prison without parole for animal cruelty.

The plaintiff, however, filed an appeal, saying that Prinya should also be charged with theft and ordered to pay 100,000 baht to Chiang Mai University, as the university had provided Tia with feeding, vaccinations, sterilisation, health checks and microchip implanting. 

Prinya, however, appealed for an acquittal, saying that he had taken Tia out on a motorbike ride, but the dog fell off and was accidentally run over by his motorbike.