The Buddhist clergy in Thailand has been rocked by another scandal after a senior monk was filmed having sex with a woman on CCTV and accused of embezzling £2million from his temple. Phra Wachirayan Wi, the 66-year-old abbot of the 14th-century Wat Phutthaisawan temple in Ayutthaya, was caught in footage that has since been widely broadcast on Thai television, causing widespread public shock. The case follows a string of similar controversies involving monks, who take vows of celibacy and poverty, and has renewed calls for tighter scrutiny of temple finances and conduct.

The latest incident echoes a major scandal last year in which Wilawan Emsawat, known as "Sika Golf", was accused of extorting nearly £9million from senior monks by threatening to release recordings of her having sex with them, having allegedly begun such relationships as far back as 2015. Police said she amassed some 80,000 photos and videos, received lavish gifts including cars worth tens of thousands of pounds, and spent the proceeds on gambling and a luxury lifestyle before her arrest, by which time she reportedly had just £180 left. Separately, four monks were arrested this year after police found a stash of pornography, sex toys, a penis pump and an escort list, part of a wider pattern of scandals that has also included child sex offences involving clergy.