An Australian man accused of murdering a 17-year-old girl in Thailand has publicly denied the allegations, saying in his first media interview since his arrest that he acted in self-defence.
Simon Peter Carman, 45, spoke from Pattaya Remand Prison as Thai police prepared to send their investigation file to prosecutors. The Perth man has been detained since late June over the death of Tunchanok Donhomla, who was known to family and friends as “Cake”.
Mr Carman faces four charges, including murder, concealing a corpse and abducting a minor for indecent purposes. He has pleaded not guilty. The allegations have not been tested in court, and Thai prosecutors will determine how the case proceeds.
Accused man claims self-defence
During an interview with the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program, Mr Carman said he had done nothing wrong and should not be in prison. He claimed the teenager produced a knife inside his accommodation after asking for more money and that a physical struggle followed.
Mr Carman said he repeatedly asked her to put down the knife and maintained that he had not intended to kill her. He also told the program that he did not call an ambulance or police after the confrontation because he did not trust police.
His account is a defence claim and has not been accepted by a court. Police say their evidence includes CCTV, forensic material and an autopsy report. According to investigators, the autopsy found that Tunchanok suffered a brain injury and died from suffocation.
Police outline timeline of investigation
Thai police allege Mr Carman met Tunchanok on Pattaya’s Beach Road in the early hours of June 25 before the pair went to his condominium. CCTV is said to show a man and a young woman walking hand-in-hand through the building, followed later by footage of a man moving a large suitcase and transporting it on a motorcycle.
Tunchanok’s body was found inside a suitcase near railway tracks close to Mr Carman’s accommodation on June 27. Police arrested him at Bangkok’s international airport that day as he was preparing to board a flight to Perth.
Mr Carman told the ABC he had believed Tunchanok was an adult and said he was unaware she was 17. He remains in custody at Pattaya Remand Prison, where the interview took place under prison supervision.
Pattaya Police Colonel Anek Srathongyoo said investigators had completed their work and intended to submit the file to the prosecutor’s office on August 24. Prosecutors will assess the police brief before deciding the next formal steps under Thai law.
Family calls for justice
Tunchanok’s father, Thongchai Donhomla, has rejected calls for leniency and said he wants the strongest available punishment if Mr Carman is convicted. He described himself as deeply heartbroken and said he hoped his daughter would receive justice.
A murder conviction in Thailand can carry life imprisonment or the death penalty. However, no verdict has been reached, and Mr Carman continues to deny all charges.
The case has attracted close attention in both Australia and Thailand because of the victim’s age, the international investigation and the serious penalties involved. Australian embassy officials have visited Mr Carman, but he told the ABC he had not yet secured a lawyer at the time of the interview.
With the police investigation now moving to prosecutors, the competing accounts will ultimately need to be examined through Thailand’s criminal justice process. Until then, the charges remain allegations and the presumption of innocence applies.
