London Evening Standard Correspondent Andrew Drummond faces prospect of second criminal conviction by Thailand's Supreme Court.

Pattaya, 4th November 2014

London Evening Standard Correspondent Andrew Drummond - convicted in Thailand's Supeeme Court.

Following a report earlier this week that London Evening Standard correspondent Andrew Drummond  was convicted in the Supreme Court of Thailand of criminal defamation, further details have now been provided.

Drummond is the foreign correspondent of the London Evening Standard in Thailand.

This site previously reported that in a case going back to 2004, the Thai Supreme Court had overturned the ruling of the Region 2 Court of Appeal given in 2007 that reversed Drummond's original conviction in two cases filed by James Lumsden and Gordon May.

Lumsden filed two criminal cases, one in 2001 and the other in 2004.

We can now clarify that last weeks ruling was only  in relation to the first case filed, and Drummond will face the Supreme Court again on December 16th in the second case that was filed by Lumsden.

The cases relate to an article published in The Bangkok Post - the newspaper was also sued but settled out of Court.

In the first case, Drummond was originally convicted by Pattaya Provincial Court in 2004 and received a two month suspended jail sentence, but filed an appeal. The Region 2 Court of Appeal quashed the convictions in 2007.

The Supreme Court has now reversed the Court of Appeal decision in the first case and sentenced Drummond to two months jail (suspended for one year),  fined Drummond THB 20,000 (GBP400) and placed him on probation. There is no right of appeal, and the judgement of conviction is final.

Drummond has also been ordered to publish the Supreme Court judgement three times in The Bangkok Post and Pattaya Today newspapers within ine month of the judgement.

Since the May cases arise essentially from the same facts and circumstances it is widely speculated Drummond will also be convicted in the Lumsden case on December 16th.

Drummond was convicted earlier this year in Pattaya Court in another criminal defamation case and sentenced to four months jail (suspended for one year), and faces at least five new criminal trials early next year in cases brought under Thailand's tough Computer Crimes Act.

Following Drummond's conviction becoming final, Lumsden is expected to request the status of Drummond's press credentials in Thailand to be reviewed.

The Supreme Court decision has not been reported in The London Evening Standard, or on Drummond's blog, and The London Evening Standard has not yet responded to a request for a comment.

#andrewdrummond #allycooper