An Australian man has been arrested in Thailand after the body of a teenage girl was found stuffed inside a suitcase on June 26.
Simon Carman, 46, was arrested at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, according to ABC News.
The body of the 17-year-old girl from Kalasin province was found inside a suitcase near the resort city of Pattaya.
Her friends reported her missing on Friday afternoon after they did not hear from her. Police retraced her last moments to the hotel room that she had entered with Carman, reports said.
Carman has been charged with four offences, including murder, which carries the death penalty or life in prison. Police said he denies the charges.
However, The Pattaya News reported that the Australian man Simon Peter Carman has confessed to the crime after intially denying involvement.
The Pattaya News quoting police reports said that Carman claimed he met the girl on Pattaya Beach around 3 am on June 25 and invited her back to his long-term rented condo. Once inside, she allegedly received a phone call, said she was on her period and wouldn’t sleep with him, wanted to leave, and initially asked for 500 baht in compensation. He said she then demanded more money, leading to a heated argument.
Carman alleged that she grabbed a kitchen knife and pointed it at his neck. In the ensuing struggle, he said he used his right hand to choke her neck while grabbing her knife-wielding hand with his left, after which she became still. He insisted he had no intention to kill her and acted only in self-defense.
However, the police are not buying his claim.
The case has shocked the local community in Pattaya, a popular tourist destination, and raised concerns among residents and expatriates. It comes amid broader discussions in Thai media about safety for young women and interactions involving foreign visitors, the report added.