The Australian government may be able to help a jailed man accused of murdering a teenager in Thailand as more information reveals the strikingly “normal” daily tasks he is said to have carried out since her murder.
Former lorry driver Simon Peter Carman, 45, was charged with the murder of Tanchanok Donkhomla after the 17-year-old’s body was found in a suitcase near railway tracks in the resort town south of Bangkok.
Thai police have charged Simon Peter Carman with the murder of a teenage girl. Delivered
An online profile belonging to Simon Carman showed several messages to female profiles over two years. Topics
His social media showed him publicly stalking women, writing: “Hey beautiful, where are you?” in one comment and simply “too fat” in another.
Carman, who is believed to have been born in Ballarat, confirmed on social media in October that he lives in Thailand.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday did not reveal any details about what kind of consular assistance her department is providing to Carman, but told reporters it is available where needed.
“It’s a terrible incident and I think we were all horrified by what happened and our sympathies go out to the friends and family,” she said.
“But regarding consular assistance, again, as minister, I am bound by confidentiality obligations.
“We obviously provide consular assistance to Australians overseas where required.”
In an interview with ABC, Wong said she would discuss the issue with her foreign counterpart in Thailand at the ASEAN meeting in November.
The Department of Foreign Affairs website says it provides consular assistance when an Australian is imprisoned overseas, through social support, local legal advice and ensuring basic needs are met.
He warns he cannot help Australians escape local laws and penalties, including the death penalty.
However, the government may provide financial assistance to cover legal costs if the defendant faces the death penalty.
Carman potentially faces the death penalty if convicted of Tanchanok’s alleged murder.
Her father described the girl as a good girl who worked to support her family and said whoever killed her should be executed.
Pattaya Police Colonel Anek Srathongyu on Monday revealed more details about what prompted the police investigation that led to the arrest of an Australian man at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport early Saturday morning, allegedly while attempting to flee the country.
“From about 3:30 a.m. until about 9 p.m. when he disposed of the body, he seemed to be going about his daily business as usual. We watched every clip. He went downstairs to buy food, bought groceries, did laundry – everything seemed completely normal,” Srathongyu said in comments to the publication. Sydney Morning Herald.
“Then we got to the part of the shot where he’s holding the suitcase… but instead of going out the front door, he went out the back door.”
Tanchanok Donkhomla’s body was found in a suitcase in Thailand. 9News
CCTV footage taken at 3.34am on Thursday shows a man and woman – believed to be Karman and Tanchanok – walking hand in hand in the lobby of an apartment building in Jomtien, south of Pattaya.
About 18 hours later, police say, surveillance cameras showed Carman taking a black suitcase from her room and leaving the apartment on a motorcycle with the suitcase on her back.
Srathongyu’s comments fill a gap in the chronology of events previously released by Pattaya police.
Tanchanok was reported missing by a friend, who said that she was last seen with a foreigner at 11:36 on June 26.
“Usually we report a missing person. But in this case, I thought something was wrong,” Sratongue said.
“We’ve had cases in the past where a foreign suspect committed a crime and then hurried out of the country. So I told my team to check if the missing person report was genuine… and then decided to go back to where it all started, with the CCTV footage (in the tower block).”
On Saturday at 1:15 am, Karman was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Thai police say the girl’s body was stuffed into a suitcase. Pattaya Police
At 1:30 that morning, police found a suitcase they say contained Tanchanok’s body near the railroad tracks, about a 10-minute drive from the Carman condominium.
Carman had minor run-ins with Western Australian police before moving to Pattaya, was given a $900 fine in court last August for driving without a license and was given a public order offense in September which was later dropped.
Tanchanok Donkhomly’s father and stepmother called for the execution of the murderer 9News
Before Carman moved to Thailand, he lived on and off in an industrial estate south of Perth for the past decade.
Neighboring businesses told 9News he mostly kept to himself, but could sometimes be quite hostile towards other workers, especially when it came to parking around the complex.
Karman denies killing Tanchanok, and Thai police said he claimed she was trying to rob him.
CCTV allegedly shows Carman walking hand in hand with a 17-year-old girl. Delivered
“I opened my wallet to get money and the next thing I know there’s a knife in my face,” Carman said in the video recorded by police.
Police said Carman admitted to putting the girl’s body in the suitcase.
“I’m sorry about what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control. I know you will be very sad and upset, just like I am,” Carman said in a video message to the teen’s family.
“Please tell the other girls… just be careful.”