The court said it doubted the prosecutor’s evidence linked the officers to the crimes.

The four former subordinates and their boss, former Pol Captain Nat Chonnitiwanich, were found guilty of abuse of authority and assault by the lower court in 2014. Nat was given a seven-year jail term while the four officers received five years’ jail each. The four men then appealed, leading to their acquittal yesterday due to the court’s doubts.

The lawsuit said that on January 6 and 7, 2007, Nat and his team detained the couple for alleged possession of 20 ‘yaba’ pills in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Thung Song district, tortured them to obtain confessions and demanded Bt200,000 for their release. The couple, who were turned over to police to face legal action, were later acquitted.