Source : Perth Now news
Security camera footage shows the WA man accused of murdering a 17-year-old Thai girl going about his regular daily activities just hours after he is alleged to have dumped her body in a suitcase.
Pattaya City Police Colonel Anek Srathongyoo said Simon Peter Carman ate breakfast, spoke to people in the foyer of the complex he lived in, bought groceries and did his laundry, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The 45-year-old’s series of mundane activities were documented on CCTV cameras that captured his comings and goings between about 3.30am — when he brought local teen Tunchanok Donhomla back to his accommodation — and 9pm when it is alleged he strapped a suitcase containing the girl’s body to his motorbike and dumped it.
“He appeared to go about his daily routine as usual. We watched every single clip. He went downstairs to buy food, bought some groceries, did his laundry – everything seemed completely normal,” Mr Srathongyoo alleged.
“Then we came to the part of the footage where he’s with the suitcase … but instead of leaving through the front entrance, he exited through the back door.”
He was shown on CCTV footage leaving the complex in Jomtien, about 150 kilometres south of Bangkok, driving a rented scooter with a suitcase strapped to the back and returning about 10 to 20 minutes later without it, Mr Srathongyoo told the publication.
The body of Thanchanok Donhomla was found inside the suitcase in thick grass, a few hours after Mr Carman had been detained at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport the following day, minutes before he was due to board a flight to Perth.
Inside the suitcase, according to media reports, was her vape, a phone and some receipts, which had been jammed into spaces between her limbs.
People who knew Mr Carman say he was living in the tower complex, on the 15th floor, for at least eight months, SMH reported.
Local police allege the Australian man engaged the girl for sexual services before a dispute erupted over payment after allegedly agreeing to pay 1000 baht ($A44), but then only offering 500 baht when they arrived at his apartment.
Mr Carman, who has denied all charges against him and claimed he acted in self-defence, faces charges of murder, moving or concealing a body, and taking a minor for sexual purposes.
If he is convicted of murder, the maximum penalty under Thai law is death. Mr Srathongyoo said he expects the case will conclude within 84 days of Carman’s arrest.
