Australian expatriate Simon Carman charged with murder after Thai teen's death

Australian Simon Carman, formerly of Perth’s Casuarina and Albany, settled in Pattaya and was a regular at The Welcome Inn, where he enjoyed Sunday roasts with a friend. In June, he was detained after attempting to fly back to Perth and subsequently charged with intentional murder, concealing a corpse, moving a corpse and abducting a minor. While he admitted to hiding the body, he maintains he did not kill 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, alleging she demanded more money and threatened him with a knife.

Police presented CCTV showing Carman carrying a suitcase and later strapping it to a moped, and DNA matched his to the victim. The teen’s remains were discovered near railway tracks, with an autopsy reporting brain injury and death by suffocation. Carman remains in a Pattaya remand prison awaiting further proceedings.