Australian man charged with murder of 17-year-old Thai girl in Pattaya

Consensus Summary

Australian man Simon Peter Carman, 45 or 46, was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on June 27, [DATE UNVERIFIED], after Thai police linked him to the murder of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase near railway tracks in Pattaya. CCTV footage shows Carman and the victim holding hands in a condo lobby at 3:34am on June 25, with Carman later seen leaving the condo with a suitcase and returning without it. Carman, who lived in a condo in Jomtien Beach for about eight months, initially denied the murder and claimed self-defence, alleging the victim threatened him with a knife. Police allege Carman strangled Tunchanok Donhomla after an argument and kept her body in his bathroom before disposing of it in the suitcase. Carman was born in Ballarat, Victoria, and previously lived in Western Australia, where he had a workplace injury and his gun licence was suspended. The victim’s family, who described her as a cheerful and hardworking young girl, is seeking the death penalty if Carman is convicted. Carman’s room in Pattaya was described as cluttered, with neighbours noting his slow speech and movement, which he attributed to a brain tumour. Thai police are also investigating whether Carman is linked to other unsolved cases involving women’s bodies found in suitcases.