Actress arrested for drink-driving gets bail

Anna Hamblaouris when she turned herself in to police to face a charge of reckless driving causing death in June 2015.(Bangkok Post file photo)

An actress and model involved in a crash that killed a policeman two years ago has been arrested on a drink-driving charge after her sedan hit another car in a pub parking lot in Bangkok’s Huay Kwang district, police said.

Anna Hamblaouris, 30, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and later released on police bail.

After making a scene at a pub, she drove her BMW sedan into another vehicle in the car park while she was attempting to leave, according to Thai media reports.

Huai Khwang police were informed of the incident about 2am on Monday by the pub staff.

When police arrived, they found her yelling and apparently intoxicated. She was taken to the police station but could not give a statement. She was asked to blow into a breathalyser and found to have an excessive blood alcohol content, police said.

According to police, no other charge was pressed against her. She was expected to be arraigned at the District Court of Northern Bangkok on Monday morning.

Pol Col Arkhom Chantaraj, acting superintendent of Huay Kwang police station, said later the court hearing was postponed.

The actress was released on police bail pending further investigation. She would also be taken to the Police General Hospital for a drug test.

The investigation would be wrapped up within 30 days, he said.

The Thai-English actress, whose stage name is Anna Reese, was involved in a fatal crash in Bangkok’s Prawet district in June 2015. Her Mercedes Benz rear-ended a parked police car and killed Pol Sub Lt Napadol Wongbunndit, who was taking a rest in the backseat.

No alcohol or drug tests were conducted and she was allowed to leave the scene without being arrested because she was reportedly "too traumatised" and "not ready".

She later turned herself in to police, was charged with reckless driving causing death and released on bail.

In August 2015 she reached a settlement with the dead officer's family in a civil case, reportedly agreeing to pay 6.2 million baht in compensation, 1.2 million of which would be covered by her insurance company.

She also briefly ordained as a nun - for a week.



