Ex-Thai Buddhist Monk Sentenced For 16 Years Over Kidnap, Rape Charges

A former Buddhist monk on Wednesday was sentenced to 16 years in prison for kidnapping and raping an underage girl, officials said.

Wirapol Sukphol, 39, was found guilty of child kidnapping and sexual abuse and was given eight-year sentences for each offence, said the Criminal Court in Bangkok. He denied the charges, Efe news reported.

Sukphol, a former abbot of Pa Khantitham Monastery in Thailand's Sisaket province, is already serving the maximum 20 years for money laundering and fraud.

The court added the 16 years to his ongoing jail term, meaning he will serve 36 years in total behind bars.

He fled to the US in 2013 when the various charges were first levelled against him and he was extradited back to Thailand in July 2017.