Article 290: Assault causing death
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดมิได้มีเจตนาฆ่า แต่ทำร้ายผู้อื่นจนเป็นเหตุให้ผู้นั้นถึงแก่ความตาย ต้องระวางโทษจำคุกตั้งแต่สามปีถึงสิบห้าปี ถ้าความผิดนั้นมีลักษณะประการหนึ่งประการใด ดังที่บัญญัติไว้ในมาตรา ๒๘๙ ผู้กระทำต้องระวางโทษจำคุกตั้งแต่สามปีถึงยี่สิบปี
English translation
Whoever, without intent to kill, injures another person so that that person dies, shall be liable to imprisonment from three to fifteen years.
Where the offence has any of the characteristics described in Section 289, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment from three to twenty years.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
Section 290 sits between intentional murder and negligent homicide: it punishes an intentional injuring of another where the offender had no intent to kill but death resulted. Its elements are an intent to injure, an act of injuring, and a resulting death that flows from that act. The absence of intent to kill is what separates it from Sections 288 and 289, while the presence of a deliberate act of injury separates it from the negligence offence of Section 291. Because it is a result-aggravated offence, general-part rules can extend liability: a co-principal who joined an assault answers for the death, and a death caused by mistaken aim (aberratio ictus) is reached through Section 60. Assault causing death is often the lesser offence a court finds proven when a murder charge fails on the intent-to-kill element.
Why this matters in practice
For a defendant this section is often the more favourable outcome when the prosecution cannot prove intent to kill, since exposure drops to three to fifteen years rather than the murder range. The decisive contest is therefore over intent, judged from the weapon, the force used, and the part of the body targeted. Note that joining a group assault can make a person liable for the death as a co-principal even without striking the fatal blow, so participation is itself a serious risk; the firm's overview of criminal law in Thailand gives context.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 3978/2567 (2024)
Where offenders intended only to injure but the victim died, liability lies under Section 290 for assault causing death, not murder; a co-principal answers for the shared result, including a death caused by mistaken aim through Section 60.
Having joined from the outset in beating the first victim, the defendant was liable as a co-principal for assault causing death under Section 290 paragraph one; the death of the second victim by mistaken aim made him liable under Section 290 with Section 60, both being lesser offences included within the charged murder.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 234/2567 (2024)
The intent to injure a child causing death under Section 290 is separable from the intent to commit a sexual offence, so the two are distinct offences punished as separate counts.
The defendant was convicted of assault causing death under Section 290 as an act of domestic violence; the Supreme Court held this intent was separable from the intent behind the rape charge, making them separate counts.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 186 Supreme Court decisions (1958 to 2025)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Décision 9126/2560 (2017)
- Decision 3463/2560 (2017)
- Decision 420/2560 (2017)
- Decision 10065/2558 (2015)
- Decision 12110/2556 (2013)
- Decision 2367/2556 (2013)
- Decision 6798/2554 (2011)
- Decision 5131/2554 (2011)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
Le plus souvent cité aux côtés de
- Article 288 126
- Article 78 92
- Article 83 84
- Article 295 44
- Article 91 43
- Thai CrPC s. 192 26
Sections qui apparaissent le plus souvent dans les mêmes jugements que celui-ci. Le chiffre correspond au nombre de décisions.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Foire aux questions
Quelle est la sanction prévue par l'article 290 ?
Peine d'emprisonnement de trois à quinze ans pour avoir blessé une autre personne, sans intention de tuer, de manière à entraîner la mort.
En quoi l'article 290 diffère-t-il du meurtre au sens de l'article 288 ?
L'article 290 s'applique lorsque l'auteur de l'infraction avait seulement l'intention de blesser, et non de tuer, mais que les blessures ont entraîné la mort. Si l'intention de tuer est prouvée, il s'agit d'un meurtre au sens de l'article 288.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 290 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 290. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-290/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 290 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-290/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-290/"><p>Whoever, without intent to kill, injures another person so that that person dies, shall be liable to imprisonment from three to fifteen years. Where the offence has any of the characteristics described in Section 289, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment from three to…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 290 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-290/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.