Whoever intends to commit an act against one person but the consequence of the act befalls another person by mistake, the offender shall be deemed to have committed the act intentionally against the person who received the harmful consequence. But in the case where the law provides for a heavier punishment on account of the status of the person or the relationship between the offender and the person receiving the harmful consequence, such law shall not be applied to impose a heavier punishment on the offender.
The defendant used a firearm to shoot the victim with intent to kill, but when the victim dodged, the bullet penetrated and hit another person by accident. The Supreme Court applied the transferred intent doctrine under Section 60 (aberratio ictus), convicting of attempted murder by mistake. This case confirmed that when a perpetrator aims at one person but hits another due to the victim's evasion, the transferred intent provisions of Section 60 apply, treating the harm to the unintended victim as intentional.
The defendant fired a gun at a moving vehicle intending to kill the driver, but the bullet struck and killed a passenger instead. The Supreme Court applied the doctrine of transferred intent under Section 60 of the Criminal Code. When a person intends to commit an offense against one person but the act affects a different person, the offender is deemed to have had the same intent toward the actual victim. The defendant was therefore convicted of murder under Section 288 for the death of the passenger. The transferred intent doctrine ensures that an offender cannot escape liability for murder merely because the bullet hit an unintended victim.
The defendant shot the victim after a dispute, then fired again when the victim's father intervened. The court found the second shooting constituted attempted murder with transferred intent under Section 60. When the defendant fired at the victim to ensure death, a bullet struck the father. This resulted in conviction for attempted murder by mistake, establishing that transferred intent applies even in attempted murder scenarios.
Disclaimer: The English translation is unofficial and for informational purposes only. The authoritative text is in Thai as published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette (Ratchakitchanubeksa).ข้อสงวนสิทธิ์: คำแปลภาษาอังกฤษเป็นคำแปลอย่างไม่เป็นทางการ เพื่อวัตถุประสงค์ในการให้ข้อมูลเท่านั้น ข้อความที่เป็นทางการเป็นภาษาไทยตามที่ประกาศในราชกิจจานุเบกษา