In a homegrown case of Banged Up Abroad, a Melbourne DJ will serve two life sentences in a Thai jail after losing an appeal to have his sentence for drug possession reduced.
Jake Mastroianni, 26, and his mate Lance Whitmore, a 28-year-old former British soldier, were arrested in the beach city of Pattaya in 2014 carrying 61 and 200 pills respectively.
Mastroianni will spend at least the next six years in Bangkok‘s notorious Klong Prem Central Prison – where up to 30 prisoners share one cell in grubby conditions – before he can apply to be transferred to an Australian prison for the remainder of his sentence.
Whitmore’s sentence of 50 years is half as long as Mastroianni’s because he plead guilty to the crime last year – something Mastroianni, who used to DJ under the name Badmouth, was previously advised against by now-scrapped legal counsel.
Jeffrey Stevens, a lawyer acting for both men, called the super-severe sentence a big disappointment.
“Everyone was hoping the sentence would be reduced further,” he said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said it’s providing both men and their families with consular assistance.
A reminder: do *not* fuck with drugs in a foreign country. If you get caught, you’re gonna do the time.
Source: SMH.
Photo: Soundcloud.
