A Frenchman in Phuket has been arrested for allegedly raping a 29-year-old British woman in a hotel room in Patong area of the island.
The 36-year-old French national that police named as “Elies Guenez” was apprehended after Patong police stopped his car on his way to tambon Chalong in Muang district of Phuket on Tuesday.
Officers had been informed that Guenez was seen travelling towards Chalong in a white Nissan Juke and mobilised to track him down.
A patrol car spotted the vehicle and radioed ahead so that police could set-up a roadblock.
He was taken to Patong police station for questioning over rape allegations.
During the interrogation, the Frenchman admitted to having sex with the woman but denied raping her.
Police initially pressed rape charges against him. He was held in police custody while officers investigated the alleged offence.
The British woman filed a complaint with Patong police on Friday and said she had known the Frenchman since they connected on the Tinder dating app on 7th September.
They went to Surin beach in Thalang district of Phuket the next day. That evening, the man took her to his hotel room, where she claimed he had raped her.
Police began the investigation and later gathered evidence to seek approval from the Phuket provincial court to arrest the suspect.
Frenchman Held for Allegedly Raping British woman | Chiang Mai One