Heir to Red Bull billions, 31, who refuses to return to Thailand to face charges of killing a cop in Ferrari hit-and-run five years ago leaves his London mansion

He’s the billionaire Red Bull heir who’s supposed to be in Thailand facing a fatal hit-and-run charge – but Vorayuth ‘Boss’ Yoovidhya was seen living his usual jet-set lifestyle in London on Wednesday.

The international playboy was seen leaving a £6.5million home in Knightsbridge, West London, accompanied by two female companions before climbing into a vehicle with blacked-out windows.

He refused to say whether he will be returning to Thailand for an April 27 hearing over the death of motorcycle cop Wichean Glanprasert, who died after being rear-ended by a £250,00 Ferrari FF, allegedly driven by Yoovidhya. 

England is a favourite haunt of his, and he has traveled here at least once before this year via private jet, landing at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire in January in order to celebrate his birthday.

It is not known when exactly he arrived for his current trip, having spent time last month in Laos, Cambodia, though social media posts suggest he has been in London for at least two days.

His Facebook page was updated on Saturday to say that he is studying at Central Saint Martins, a part of the University of the Arts, situated in Kings Cross.

A hearing was scheduled last week, but Yoovidhya failed to show up. Prosecutors agreed to delay the hearing until later this month, but time is running out, as the statute of limitation on the charges expires this year.

If found guilty, Yoovidhya is facing a maximum of 10 years behind bars. His lawyers dispute the charge, saying the cop pulled out in front of their client before being struck.

Glanprasert died in 2012, and the 31-year-old accused has been avoiding the charge ever since, with attorneys claiming he is either too sick to attend hearings or working overseas.

But his social media accounts and those of his friends paint a very different picture of his international activities. 

Vorayuth can be seen celebrating a carefree, expensive lifestyle on ski vacations and other holidays around the world – from cruises in Venice to snowboarding trips in Japan and attending Formula 1 races around the globe.

Three months after the accident, Vorayuth was at the Red Bull Singha Race of Champions, staged for the first time in his hometown Bangkok. Smiling in his Red Bull cap at the stadium, surrounded by cousins and friends, a VIP pass dangled from his neck.

More than 100 of photos posted on Facebook and Instagram since then, as well as some racing blogs, show Vorayuth visited at least nine countries since the crash.

Stops include the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Osaka, where he posed wearing robes from Hogwarts School’s darkest dorm, Slytherin House.  

His friends and cousins posting about him have hundreds of thousands of online followers. 

Last summer in Japan he posted a ten-second video of sausage and eggs decorated with seaweed eyes, tagging a young relative. His parents responded with a thumbs-up.

His lifestyle – soaking in an Abu Dhabi pool, dining in Nice, France, holding a $10,000 bicycle in Bangkok – is supported by his family’s billions.

Vorayuth flies around the world on private Red Bull jets, cheers their Formula One racing team from Red Bull’s VIP seats and keeps a black Porsche Carrera in London with custom license plates: B055 RBR – which is code for ‘Boss Red Bull Racing’.

And as recently as last month, the Associated Press found Vorayuth and his family vacationing in the ancient, sacred city of Luang Prabang, Laos.

The group stayed at a $1,000-a-night resort, dined in the finest restaurant, visited temples and lounged by the pool before flying home to Bangkok.

Vorayuth’s grandfather, Chaleo Yoovidhya, grew up in poverty, the son of a duck seller. He was known as a modest, humble man who insisted on privacy.

He founded TC Pharma in 1956 to import European medicines, but over the decades developed more products, especially drinks sold by the bottle or can.

A few years before Vorayuth was born, Chaleo partnered with an Austrian entrepreneur, Dietrich Mateschitz. 

They put in $500,000 each to carbonate and globally market TC Pharma’s caffeine-powered syrupy energy drink popular in Thailand among laborers, taxi drivers and jet-lagged tourists.

In 1987, when Vorayuth turned 1, Red Bull Energy Drink went international and his family’s fortune boomed.

Red Bull sold more than 6 billion of its iconic slim cans in 2016 in more than 170 countries.

It has its own media company, a professional soccer team, race cars and jets. The company sponsors concerts, events and athletes worldwide, all ostensibly pumped up with the sweet drink.

Mateschitz owns 49 percent of the company, the Yoovidhya family 49 percent in a complex licensing agreement with TC Pharma.

Vorayuth’s father Chalerm Yoovidhya, the oldest of 11 siblings, holds the final 2 percent. Red Bull reported more than $6 billion in sales last year. 

Forbes estimates Chalerm’s net worth at $9.7 billion.

As the family’s wealth has grown, many of the younger generation have become glamorous socialites, traveling the world to shop, dine and play. The family co-owns the only Ferrari dealership in town, as well as a winery.

Three generations gather regularly for birthdays and anniversaries, and the younger family members also dance and drink in Bangkok’s nightclubs.

Vorayuth, attended Bradfield College in the English county of Berkshire. The boarding and day school charges as much as £35,280 annually for students to attend. 

He made a rare post on Facebook on Saturday, saying he started school at the University of the Arts London and Central Saint Martins.

Critics of the heir’s case have said it is just another example of the wealthy class in Thailand exploiting the country, which has struggled with rule of law for decades.

General Prayuth Chan-ochahe – the military general who came to power in a 2014 coup – declared war on corruption, pledging to make Thailand an equal and fair society.

But car accidents are frequently cited as an example that injustice persists, with ‘Bangkok’s deadly rich kids,’ as one Thai newspaper described it, often receiving far more lenient sentences than ordinary citizens.

The Yoovidhya family attorney did not respond to AP’s request to interview Vorayuth.

Experts who have spent years studying the Thai justice system said it is no surprise ‘Boss’ has managed to evade prosecution since the incident.

‘There is most certainly a culture of impunity here that big people, which means roughly people with power and money, expect to be able to get away with a certain amount of wrongdoing,’ British historian Chris Baker said.

‘This happens so often, so constantly, it is very clearly part of the working culture.’

Vorayuth’s legal situation is also far from unique, and appeared similar to a recent incident.

Last year, the son of a wealthy Thai businessman slammed his Mercedes Benz at high speed into a smaller car, killing two graduate students. His case is still pending in court.

In 2010, a 16-year-old unlicensed daughter of a former military officer crashed her sedan into a van, killing nine people.

The teen, from an affluent family, was given a two-year suspended sentence and didn’t complete community service until last year.

Those cases are markedly different from most deadly car crashes, in which Thais are routinely arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to jail.