An Australian man has been charged with murder after the body of a 17-year-old girl was found in a suitcase in Thailand, local and Australian media report.
Police in the coastal city of Pattaya said they had found the teenager “stuffed” in the bag, which had been discarded near a railway track, in the early hours of Saturday.
Thai police said they arrested Simon Peter Carman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in connection with the death as he was allegedly “preparing to flee the country”.
He denies the charges, according to reports. In a message issued to the victim’s family after his arrest, Carman said: “I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control.”
Pattaya City Police said the 17-year-old, named in local media as Tunchanok Donhomla, had been reported missing at 17:00 local time (12:00 GMT) on Friday.
In a statement on social media, the force said it reviewed CCTV footage which allegedly showed Carman entering a condominium with her before later emerging alone “carrying a large suitcase”.
It said he loaded the bag onto a motorbike before driving towards a railway line.
Officers questioned and arrested Carman at the airport in the Thai capital, some 150km (93 miles) north of Pattaya, at 01:15 on Saturday.
The teenager’s naked body was found in a suitcase some 15 minutes later, the force said.
According to reports, Carman denied murder and further charges related to moving or concealing a body and taking a minor for sexual purposes, and claimed he had acted in self defence.
In a video recorded while he was in custody, the suspect issued a message to the victim’s family, saying: “I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control.”
“I know you’ll be very sad, upsetâĶ same [as] me.”
He added: “Please tell other girlsâĶ just to be careful.”
The victim’s father said he was “deeply saddened” by his daughter’s death, while her step-mother said: “I just want him to face the full consequences.”
