The naked body of a 17-year-old girl was found stuffed inside a suitcase and dumped near a railway line in the Thai coastal city of Pattaya — a discovery that has led to murder charges against an Australian tourist. Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in the early hours of Saturday as he allegedly tried to flee the country, police said. He denies murder, as well as charges of concealing a body and taking a minor for sexual purposes.
CCTV footage reviewed by Pattaya City Police showed Carman walking hand-in-hand with Tunchanok Donhomla — known to family as ‘little cake’ — into a condominium elevator at 3.34am on Thursday. Hours later, at 9.25pm, he was seen dragging a large black suitcase out of the building, strapping it to a motorbike and driving towards a railway line. He returned alone at 10.06pm. The teenager’s body was found in the suitcase about 15 minutes after Carman’s arrest at 1.15am on Saturday, police said.
“Australian Simon Carman charged with murder after 17-year-old's body found stuffed in suitcase in Thailand”
Tunchanok, an only child from the northeastern province of Kalasin, had been reported missing at 5pm local time on Friday by her friends. Her father, Thongchai Donhomla, 46, and stepmother Oradee Bussarakum had travelled from their home province to look for her. “We never expected this. When they found her, we still hoped she was alive,” Oradee told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “Now our eyes are swollen from crying.” Thongchai described his daughter as “helpful, kind and resourceful”. She had been in Pattaya for only a few days, having told her parents she wanted to go on holiday with a friend and see the sea.
In a video recorded while in custody, Carman issued a message to the family: “I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control.” He added: “Please tell other girls … just to be careful.” According to Thai media, Carman told police he had agreed to pay Tunchanok 1,000 baht (£23) for sexual services but they argued after he offered only 500 baht. He also claimed she “disappeared from the room” while he slept. Police Superintendent Anek Srathongyoo noted that Carman had “fingernail scratches across his body that are consistent with a struggle”. Asked about the marks, Carman replied: “I think it’s a spider; they always get in here.”
Under Thailand’s criminal code, a murder conviction can carry the death penalty or between 15 and 20 years’ imprisonment. Carman’s arrest and the circumstances of Tunchanok’s death have reignited calls for action against sex tourism in the country.