The ex-husband of accused serial killer Sararat “Aem” Rangsiwuthaporn has been granted bail, after the court said police had not yet found evidence to link him to the murders his ex-wife is said to have committed.
After his release, Pol Lt Col Withoon Rangsiwuthaporn was taken to visit his ex-wife at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution, where both broke down in tears upon seeing each other.
However, Ms Sararat, who is accused of poisoning 14 people, had nothing to say about the allegations against her, according to deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, who arranged the meeting.
Pol Lt Col Withoon had indicated earlier that he wanted to talk to his ex-wife and try to persuade her to confess if she had done what she is accused of.
Pol Gen Surachate said Ms Sararat wanted to speak to a relative first before giving a statement to police. He declined to give details, but said the relative was a woman who was very important to her. She will be taken to see the accused on Sunday.
Police investigators earlier on Thursday took Pol Lt Col Withoon to the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Court, seeking to have him detained on charges of receiving stolen property, jointly forging official documents and using forged official documents.
Pol Lt Col Withoon, the deputy superintendent of the Suan Phueng police station in Ratchaburi, was fired from the force, arrested and charged on Wednesday.
Police handling the cyanide-murder case sought an arrest warrant after learning that the 39-year-old policeman had picked up Ms Sararat in Udon Thani after the death of her boyfriend Sutthisak “Dae” Phoonkhwan.
Sutthisak was one of the 15 reported victims of Ms Sararat, who is accused of involvement in a spate of deaths involving cyanide. The 35-year-old native of Ratchaburi died in Udon Thani on March 12, a day after making merit with Ms Sararat at a local temple and having a meal with her at a restaurant.
The court initially approved a police request to detain Pol Lt Col Withoon. He applied for temporary release and gave his consent to be fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
The court granted bail on the grounds that police investigators had not yet found any evidence to implicate him in the murder cases.
Police had also searched the houses of the suspect and Ms Sararat and there was no evidence showing that he had interfered with evidence, according to the court.
The court approved his temporary release on bail with a 100,000-baht surety.
