Thread: Man charged with raping British tourist in Pattaya

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Monday 16th January 2006

English woman raped in Jomtien. Suspect arrested and charged.
A case of suspected rape now from Jomtien involving a female English Tourist which is sure to have repercussions as the story is all over the International press. The case begins on Saturday afternoon when a woman who we will not name for her protection aged 29 from Liverpool, England was enjoying herself with friends in the Tepprasit Road where she participated in a game of “Toglor”, a popular sport here in Thailand. She had just completed a modeling assignment here in Thailand and decided not to follow the crew and other models back to the UK and instead decided to spend a further week here in Pattaya. On Saturday evening she had arranged to meet friends in Walking Street and waited for a motorbike taxi in front of the KK Advertising Shop.
A Thai man approached on a bike and claimed he was a motorbike taxi driver and could send her to Walking Street but claimed he wanted to go back to his apartment first to collect a safety helmet for her to wear. He made the planned detour to his apartment in Soi 17 on the Tepprasit Road where he allegedly raped the woman in wasteland at the rear of his room. After the attack, the woman called the Tourist Police who quickly made their way to the location and took her back to Dongtan Police sub-station on Jomtien Beach to make a report of the incident. A full description of the attacker was given and Police began to hunt for him.
On Sunday morning, she accompanied Police to Dongtan Police sub-station where an identity parade was held consisting of five possible suspects. She picked out the arrested individual and suspected rapist named as Khun Pipatpong aged 19 from Nakhon Nayok Province. He confessed to the crime and on Sunday, a reconstruction of the crime took place at the area of wasteland inside Soi 17 which was located just behind the suspect’s apartment. He pointed to the location of the alleged assault and graphically described the attack to officers. The victim is due to return to England on 9th February and we understand that a trial date for the accused has already been set and the case should be concluded before she returns. The suspect faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison without the possibility of an early release if convicted.
With the case involving 21 year old Katherine Horton, from Wales, who was raped and murdered on New Year's Day in Koh Samui, further damage to the reputation of Thailand as a tourist destination is expected because of this second serious criminal case involving a female tourist from the UK in the space of one month.