Joe Ferrari: Ex-Thai police chief convicted of suspect killing

Thitisan Utthanaphon is reportedly fond of fast cars and known as "Joe Ferrari"

A former Thai police chief has been sentenced to life in jail after being found guilty of murder by torture, in a case that sparked national outrage over police brutality.

Thitisan Utthanaphon was nicknamed Joe Ferrari for his many luxury cars.

In August, he was arrested after a leaked video surfaced showing him and colleagues wrapping plastic bags around the head of a 24-year-old drug suspect during an interrogation.

The suspect later died.

On Wednesday, a Thai court found the 41-year-old guilty of murder by torture and sentenced him to death. However the death sentence was immediately reduced to life imprisonment.

The court cited his attempts to revive the suspect, Jirapong Thanapat, and that he had paid for the funeral expenses for the family.

Five of the six other officers involved in the interrogation were also convicted of murder and given life sentences. A seventh received a smaller sentence due to his testimony.

The father of the victim said he felt "helpless during the ruling, and my wife was crying," AFP news agency reported.

Jakkrit Klandi said outside the court on Wednesday: "All seven officers should learn their lesson and pay for their crime."

'I did not intend to kill him'

Footage of the brutal police interrogation went viral last year, prompting Thitisan to flee his post.

He later surrendered to police, and in a press conference organised by police, he claimed the suspect's death was an accident.

"I did not intend to kill him... I intended to get the information so I can destroy the drug business," he said.

• The high rolling ex-police chief accused of torture

He also denied accusations that he had demanded a bribe from the suspect during the encounter.

According to local reports, the alleged torture occurred after the suspect was told to double a bribe that had been agreed for his release and that of his girlfriend.

He was ordered to pay 2 million baht (£46,000; $58,000) to have his charges dropped and was attacked when he refused, according to The Bangkok Post newspaper, which cited a whistleblower's complaint lodged with the police.

The case struck a nerve in Thailand where the police force has been accused of being incompetent and corrupt.

In the investigation into Thitisan after his arrest, authorities found that he lived in a luxury home in Bangkok, and estimated that he had amassed a fortune of at least 42 cars.

One of them was a rare Lamborghini Aventador Anniversario, of which only 100 were made, priced in Thailand at 47 million baht ($1.3m; £1.1m) - about a thousand times more than his monthly salary.