The reduced sentence came after both defendants formally pleaded guilty to the charges, according to Siam Sport.
According to the official indictment, the two were prosecuted for illegally accessing computer data and bypassing system security measures, which strictly violates cybersecurity laws in Thailand. The offense stemmed from a scheme known in the gaming community as “ghosting,” where one player secretly competes on behalf of another during an official esports match.
Thai esports player Wasarin “Tokyogurl” Naraphat (L) and her accomplice Cheerio who helped her cheat in the Arena of Valor event at 33rd SEA Games. Photos courtesy of Tiktok/@tokyogurlz and Bangkok ESC |
The incident occurred on Dec. 15, 2025, during the highly anticipated women’s Arena of Valor (RoV) semi-final match between Thailand and Vietnam. Tournament organizers and referees discovered unusual signs during the competition.
Investigations revealed that Tokyogurl, whose real name is Naphat Warasin, provided her official competition account credentials to the well-known gamer Cheerio so he could log in from outside. Warasin also used the Discord application on a hidden device to share her screen and have Cheerio play the match on her behalf.
This incident resulted in the immediate disqualification of the Thailand women’s RoV team. The Thai Esports Federation subsequently withdrew the national esports team from the event.
On Feb. 4, 2026, Thai police arrested the two suspects in Nonthaburi and Nakhon Phanom provinces. Authorities seized evidence from their residences, including IP addresses, login devices and chat logs detailing the cheating plan.
Both Warasin and Cheerio fully admitted to the entire act in court. The judging panel determined that their actions seriously undermined the transparency of professional athlete selection and severely damaged the nation’s reputation on the international stage.
Initially, the court sentenced each defendant to six months in prison without the possibility of probation. However, citing their sincere confessions and cooperation, the judge reduced the sentence by half to three months and changed the penalty from imprisonment to detention.
Following the verdict, the two defendants were granted bail pending their legal appeal, with the bail amount set at 24,000 baht (US$670) each.
Under Thai law, detention is considered a lighter punishment than imprisonment. It is strictly applied for short periods, typically no longer than three months, and is carried out in designated non-prison facilities to reduce the negative impact on the detainees.
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