Father of Thai teen allegedly killed and stuffed in a suitcase by Aussie slams comments accused killer made about his daughter from behind bars
The father of a 17-year-old Thai girl allegedly murdered by an Australian truck driver has angrily rejected the accused man's claims that he acted in self-defence and expressed remorse. Simon Peter Carman, 45, of Perth, spoke from a Pattaya prison cell ahead of an ABC Foreign Correspondent interview, insisting he acted lawfully after the teenager, Tunchanok Donhomla, allegedly attacked him with a knife. Tunchanok's father, Thongchai Donhomla, dismissed the apology and vowed to oppose Carman's bail application, saying he wants justice for his only child.
Tunchanok's naked body was discovered in a suitcase near railway tracks outside Pattaya on 27 June, two days after she was last seen on CCTV with Carman at his condominium. Carman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport as he attempted to board a flight home, and now faces charges including murder, concealing a body and offences relating to a minor. He claims he did not know Tunchanok's age and that she died while he restrained her during a struggle, though an autopsy found she suffered a brain injury and suffocated, with no other wounds, and police say his DNA matched evidence on her body; prosecutors have until 18 September to formally indict him.
- Aussie Simon Carman, 45, denies murdering Thai teen Tunchanok Donhomla, 17
- Claims self-defence; her father rejects his remorse and opposes bail
- Autopsy found brain injury and suffocation; DNA match reported; indictment due 18 September
New here? Start with this
Simon Peter Carman, a 45-year-old truck driver from Perth, Australia, is accused of murdering Tunchanok Donhomla, a 17-year-old Thai girl, in Pattaya, Thailand. Her body was found stuffed in a suitcase near a railway line in June, shortly after she had been seen with Carman on CCTV. He was arrested at Bangkok airport as he tried to fly home, and has since given his own account of what happened from inside a Thai prison.
Carman faces several charges, including murder and concealing a body, but says he acted in self-defence after Tunchanok allegedly attacked him with a knife, and that he did not know her age. Thai investigators have pointed to autopsy and DNA evidence that they say challenges his version of events. Her father, Thongchai Donhomla, has publicly rejected Carman's account and said he intends to fight any attempt by Carman to be released on bail.
The case has drawn attention both in Thailand and Australia because it involves the death of a minor, a foreign national accused of the killing, and a legal process still under way, with prosecutors facing a deadline to formally charge Carman. It touches on wider concerns about the safety of young people and how such cross-border criminal cases are handled by the Thai justice system.