PHANG NGA – The Takua Pa Provincial Court in Phang Nga has sentenced 45-year-old Russian national Artem Bugorsky to 12 and a half years in prison for the intentional murder of his 13-year-old son, Lucas. The tragic incident occurred on a tourist speedboat in late January 2025, when Bugorsky threw his son into the vessel’s operating propeller, resulting in fatal injuries.

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The court heard that the attack took place approximately 200 meters from shore as the speedboat returned from the Surin Islands with other tourists on board. Bugorsky grabbed his son by the legs and threw him overboard directly into the path of the propeller before jumping into the water himself. Lucas sustained catastrophic injuries and could not be resuscitated.

Witnesses, including passengers and crew, described a previously warm and attentive relationship between father and son. Bugorsky was actively involved in his son’s upbringing and education. However, in the year leading up to the killing, he faced severe personal crises, including a divorce from Lucas’s Thai mother, the loss of his visa and job, financial strain, and the death of his older brother. Those close to him noted emerging signs of mental distress.

Russian charged with murder for throwing son from speedboathttps://t.co/lbsOinIdgj pic.twitter.com/PvfbbAgILM

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A forensic psychiatric evaluation at Surat Thani Hospital concluded Bugorsky was suffering from a mental disorder induced by marijuana overdose. Police found a significant quantity of cannabis in his possession at the time of arrest. Despite the mental health findings, the court determined he remained criminally responsible for his actions.

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As Thailand lacks specialized detention facilities for prisoners with mental disorders, Bugorsky will serve his sentence in a standard prison. There has been no reported appeal, and authorities have not indicated any changes to his detention conditions.

-Thailand News (TN)