William Thomas Douglas' trial for the murder of Gary Bruce Poretsky in Chiang Mai

Sixty one year old former Perth resident William Thomas Douglas was sentenced to four years jail for the murder of 46-year-old Hawaiian resident Gary Bruce Poretsky in the Northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai in March 2008

However the former Australian Army Vietnam War veteran will serve just two years after having his sentence cut in half for pleading guilty.

Douglas claimed to have been working as a police informer during the 28-years he has lived in Chiang Mai and is reported to have boasted of having killed two drug traffickers while working with the police.

A witness told the court Douglas "pulled out the gun and shot Gary two times in the chest. Gary fell to the ground and then Douglas fired a third shot into his head."

Douglas claimed that Mr Poretsky had antagonised him by criticising the Vietnam War and had said "Australia should not have followed the US into the Vietnam War and that Australia and Thailand were dictated to by the US."

This is field edited news footage.

A full report on the trial can be found here: http://photojourn.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/cash-payment-lightens-sentence-for...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Chiang Mai
• Corruption
• Crime
• Gary Bruce Poretsky
• Murder
• Northern Thailand
• Thailand
• Thailand legal system
• Tourist murder
• William Thomas Douglas
• Vietnam War
• Vietnam Veteran

[killamansgiro]

It is unfortunete that these crimes are in effect being underpunished. Having lived out in South East asia for a number of years you see many suffering from superiority complexes. The problem lies with having to much freedom and the Thai police turning attention away from frang on frang violence. These nutters would be banged up in a heart beat if they were in their own countries either for breaking the law or for their insanity. Its clear to see that life in thailand has gone to Williams head. 

[borderhopper]

This scum deserves to die.....he's truly a worthless human. Shame on the Thai judge, prosecutor, and police for allowing this man to buy them off. It just goes to show the worth of the corrupt men behind the Thai judcial system. I'd be happy to hear this Aussie scum William Thomas Douglas was shot in the face while dinning out with his village girl.......avoid those old, bald headed, farang losers while in Thailand. And F...K the corrupt judge who sentenced him for murder, Sick!