An Australian man accused of killing a 17 year old girl in Pattaya maintained that he acted in self-defence during an interview with ABC Australia inside Pattaya Prison.
The 45 year old Australian national, Simon Peter Carman, was arrested at Suvarnabhumi International Airport after CCTV footage reportedly showed him moving a suitcase containing the body of the 17 year old Thai girl, Tunchanok Donhomla. Police also found his DNA on the body.
The suitcase was found abandoned near railway tracks in the Chaiyaphruek area of Chon Buri on June 27, two days after Carman left his Pattaya condominium.
ABC Australia recently interviewed Carman during his detention at Pattaya Prison. During the 30-minute interview, he denied intending to kill the girl and maintained that he had acted in self-defence. Carman reportedly insisted on his innocence and said he hoped and prayed he would be released.
“I did nothing wrong. I should not be here… I don’t understand what happened,” he said.
Carman said he met the girl near Jomtien Beach in the early hours of June 25 before she accompanied him to his 15th-floor condominium.
CCTV footage reportedly showed the pair entering the building while holding hands at 3.34am. Carman acknowledged the footage but said he believed the girl was between 20 and 30 years old and did not know she was under 18.
According to Carman, the pair argued over money after arriving at the condominium. He said he gave her 500 baht instead of the higher amount they had agreed on, after which she allegedly demanded more money and produced a knife.
Carman admitted strangling the girl but said he was trying to restrain her and prevent her from stabbing him. He also admitted placing her body inside a suitcase before taking it to a roadside location near a railway track about 4.2 kilometres from the condominium.
Carman initially denied involvement in the girl’s death, claiming that she had disappeared from his room while he was asleep. He later acknowledged parts of the incident after investigators presented evidence, according to the case account.
The victim’s family has called for the court to impose the death penalty.
Mueang Pattaya Police Station officers are preparing the case file for submission to prosecutors in mid-September. The case is expected to take further time to proceed through the legal process.
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