Source : Perth Now news
Neighbours and workers at local businesses have shed new light on the life of an Australian man accused of murder in Thailand.
Simon Peter Carman, 45, is accused of murdering Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, in the bustling resort city of Pattaya last week.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Chilling details emerge in Thailand murder case
Donhomla’s body was found stuffed in a suitcase and dumped near train tracks, and Carman was charged with murder, among other offences, after he was arrested allegedly trying to flee on a flight to Perth.
7NEWS has been told Carman, a former truck driver, was seen drinking at a red light district bar about 2am before meeting the teen, who was nicknamed “Cake”, at the beach.
Back at his apartment, police allege the pair got into a dispute over money and she was murdered.
‘I’m so tired’
7NEWS has been told that while the teen’s body was being hidden in his bathroom, Carman was sending casual WhatsApp messages to a local sex worker.
“I’m so tired. I’m going to go for a swim today,” he told them.
The woman who received those messages reportedly panicked when learning just hours later that Carman had been arrested over the teen’s murder.
Local police allege Carman told them he “may have strangled her, causing her to lose consciousness and eventually die”, before “he panicked” and put the body in a suitcase.
Carman has denied murdering the teen and claimed self-defence, saying she had threatened him.
If convicted, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.
Simon Carman’s life in Thailand
It comes as more details about the Australian’s life in Thailand are revealed by those who saw him regularly.
Neighbours who spent time at a bar and cafe that Carman was known to frequent have described him as a “quiet and pretty chill person”.
“He speaks slowly. He liked coming to play pool at the bar. I never saw him [get] drunk or cause any trouble,” one woman said.
“He was always polite to the staff. Sometimes he’d buy people drinks.”
Another said Carman likes to swim and walk along the beach, and one masseuse described him as a friendly person who once tipped her $20.
A restaurant owner who saw the Australian often said she had never heard any complaints about him.
Pattaya nightlife
Pattaya Nightlife Business Association vice president Sunny Werner said the area is generally safe, with patrol officers and police monitoring the area.
“If there are any fights or disturbances, the police respond very quickly,” Werner said.
The city is packed with foreigners, many of them Australian.
”You hear stories about foreign men being sadistic or physically abusing people. There have been a lot of cases like that,” a bar worker told 7NEWS.
Local bar manager Sky Kanyarat said it was not uncommon for local women and bar girls to be assaulted.
“I want tourists to see us as human beings,” she said.
“Please don’t hurt us. We have families. We have children, younger siblings, fathers and mothers just like tourists do.
“We want to go home and see them too.”
Final farewell
Hundreds of friends and family attended a Buddhist funeral for Donhomla this week.
The official autopsy has been completed and investigators are now awaiting those results.
