Mother of Thai-Swedish teen killed in crash demands justice

The mother of a 15-year-old Thai-Swedish teenager who died after his motorbike crashed into a truck illegally reversing into oncoming traffic has made an emotional appeal for justice, accusing police of failing to execute an arrest warrant for the alleged driver, a Chinese national, seven months after the fatal crash.

Tommy Boulanger, an aspiring footballer, was left in a coma following the February 20 crash in the Nongpure district of Chonburi, near the resort city of Pattaya. He never regained consciousness and died six days later.

Widely circulated CCTV footage of the crash shows a pickup truck reversing onto the main road without indicating – in an apparent attempt to make a U-turn outside a karaoke bar – leaving Tommy unable to brake in time before slamming into the back of the vehicle.

Tommy’s death has gripped the Thai public, reviving complaints over the country’s often sclerotic justice system and fuelling a mounting sense that wealthy foreign nationals are able to gain preferential treatment.

Pattaya Provincial Court issued an arrest warrant on March 2 for the suspect – whose name has not formally been released to the media, though he is believed to be well known locally – on charges of reckless driving causing death.