A Thai man who attacked US tourist Hannah Gavios after offering to guide her back to her hotel will serve a maximum of five years for pleading guilty to the charges.
Apai Ruangwong was originally sentenced to ten years in prison in Krabi, but this was halved because he pleaded guilty, reports The New York Times.
Ms Gavios broke her spine when she fell 45m down a cliff trying to flee her attacker, who then preceded to continue attacking her as she lay unable to move.
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“Before I knew it I was in mid air falling off a cliff. I was honestly thinking I wouldn’t survive,” she told the New York Post after the incident. “I was screaming in pain. It was the most painful thing ever … I felt like a total vegetable. I felt completely vulnerable. I couldn’t move anything.”
“He didn’t rape me – but he did everything else. I really thought I was going to die,” she added.
It was some hours before Ruangwong finally went and got help.
The 23-year-old remains hospitalized and is learning to walk again with the help of crutches and leg braces, she still has no feeling in her ankles and feet says her mother, Gwen Gavios.
“I am dismayed that it is automatically cut down to five years because of a guilty plea,” her mother told The New York Times.
She added that her daughter would continue to suffer the consequences of his actions “for the rest of her life”.
Her family have set up a GoFundMe account to raise money to help Hannah’s recovery and cover the cost of medical bills, so far tey have raised over $117,000.
“Hannah’s recovery period is expected to last up to two years or more, and many of the expenses, such as physical therapy will not be covered (by insurance) after several months,” her mother says in a statement.
“We may have to make changes to our home, including a remodelling of our bathroom to accommodate Hannah’s disabilities. We are expecting out of pocket costs to be at least US$50,000 and could be as much as US$200,000.”