Australian Man Charged with Murder of 17-Year-Old Thai Girl Found in Suitcase in Pattaya

The family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found in a suitcase in Pattaya said they were devastated by her death, for which an Australian man has been arrested and charged with murder. Thai police said they arrested an Australian man in his 40s at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport early on Saturday in connection with the killing in Pattaya, about 150km (93 miles) east of Bangkok. The suspect, identified as Simon Peter Carman, faces charges of murder, concealment of a body, moving or destroying a body, and taking a minor for sexual purposes. Thai police said they reviewed CCTV footage that showed Carman entering a condominium with the girl, then leaving alone hours later carrying a suitcase. In an investigation room at the police station, Carman issued a message to the victim’s family before being transferred to the Pattaya Provincial Court.