Australian man arrested in Bangkok after 17-year-old Thai girl found dead in suitcase in Pattaya
Police detained a 46-year-old Australian at Suvarnabhumi Airport as he tried to board a flight to Perth, hours after the naked body of a 17-year-old Thai girl was discovered in a discarded suitcase near a railway line in the resort city of Pattaya.
What happened
The 17-year-old, a Thai national, was last seen alive in the early hours of Thursday (25 June), holding hands with a man later identified as Australian Simon Carman, 46, as they entered a condominium building in Pattaya, a coastal resort known for tourism and nightlife. Surveillance footage from inside the building captured the pair at an elevator just after 3:30 am.
Later footage, recorded on Thursday evening, showed the same man leaving the building alone, pulling a large black suitcase that appeared heavy. Street cameras then filmed him loading the case onto the back of a motorbike and riding away. Police later found the girl's body inside a similar black suitcase dumped near a railway line, roughly ten minutes' drive from the hotel.
The discovery and arrest
The alarm was raised on Friday afternoon (26 June) when the teenager's friends reported her missing after losing contact. Officers traced her final movements to the condominium she had entered with the suspect. A police notice to immigration officials prevented the man from leaving the country; he was intercepted at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport around 9:30 pm on Friday while trying to purchase a ticket for a Jetstar flight to Perth.
Following questioning, the suspect led investigators to the location where the suitcase had been discarded. Police later confirmed they recovered the body, which was naked and bore heavy bruising to the face, indicating a severe assault.
- Girl and suspect enter Pattaya condominium, shown on CCTV holding hands.
- Suspect leaves building alone with large black suitcase, loads it onto motorbike.
- Friends report the teenager missing in the afternoon; police begin tracing her movements.
- Body found inside a suitcase near a railway line, about ten minutes from the hotel.
- Suspect arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport while attempting to buy a ticket to Perth.
The suspect
Carman, who is reportedly from Ballarat in the Australian state of Victoria, denies killing the girl. Police say his body was covered in fingernail scratches that suggest a struggle.
He has scratches from fingernails all over his body, which indicates a struggle, but he denies that he murdered her.
When asked in a video after his arrest about marks visible on his neck, the suspect blamed a spider. Thai authorities are awaiting autopsy results and additional evidence before filing formal charges.
Legal proceedings
Carman faces several potential charges, including murder, concealment of a body, and taking a minor for an indecent purpose. Some reports also list kidnapping of a minor with sexual intent. Murder carries the death penalty or life imprisonment under Thai law. An Australian foreign affairs spokesperson confirmed consular assistance is being provided.
Background
The case comes weeks after Thailand reduced the length of visa-free stays for tourists, a move that followed several incidents involving foreigners accused of drug offences, trafficking and illegal business operations. Pattaya has long been known as a hub for prostitution.
