An Australian truck driver accused of murdering a Thai teenager and concealing her body in a suitcase has entered not guilty pleas in court.
Simon Peter Carman, 45, who is from Perth’s southern suburbs, could face the death penalty over the alleged killing of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, known as Cake.
Donhomla’s naked body was discovered in a black suitcase beside railway tracks on the outskirts of Pattaya on June 27. The discovery came two days after CCTV footage reportedly showed her alive with Carman in the foyer of his condominium complex.
Carman was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport only minutes before he was due to board a Jetstar flight bound for Perth.
He has maintained that he acted in self-defence, alleging the teenager attacked him with a knife during a dispute about money.
On Friday, after the Pattaya Provincial Prosecutor approved four charges — including murder, concealing a corpse and abducting a minor for indecent purposes — Carman appeared in court for the first time and pleaded not guilty to every allegation.
According to ABC News, Carman told the court he had acted in self-defence. He also sought bail, arguing that he was not a flight risk.
Prosecutors opposed his bail request. The case is scheduled to return to court on October 12.
The body of Thai teenager Tunchanok Donhomla was found in a black suitcase near railway tracks on the outskirts of Pattaya, Thailand, on June 27.
Simon Carman, from Perth’s southern suburbs, has been charged over the alleged murder.
He insisted that he acted in self-defence and alleged that the teen attacked him with a knife during an argument over money
In August, Carman gave his first interview since his arrest, speaking to ABC’s Foreign Correspondent from Pattaya Remand Prison.
‘I feel deeply sad. I obviously wish that it did not happen, but it was unavoidable,’ he said.
‘All I was trying to do [was] restrain her from stabbing me. Even when I had her pinned down, she still had a lot of force, trying to stab me.’
Carman claimed he repeatedly asked the teen to ‘put down the knife’ during a physical struggle before she eventually ‘went limp’.
He said he felt a great deal of remorse for Tunchanok’s family. He also claimed he had no idea at the time that Tunchanok was a minor, alleging she followed him back to his accommodation.
‘I honestly do not know why she followed me home,’ he added.
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Carman has vowed to fight the charges, saying: ‘I am hoping and praying that I can get released, if not on bail, because I have done nothing wrong.
‘I have not done anything wrong. I shouldn’t be here… I do not understand what’s going on.’
Nine days before her death, Tunchanok travelled from her home in Thailand’s north, about 600km to the bustling city of Pattaya, to ‘see the beach’ and visit friends
Carman was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport just minutes before he tried to board a Jetstar flight to Perth
Carman revealed at the time that the only visitors he had received while behind bars were representatives from the Australian embassy.
As police wrapped up their investigation, an autopsy revealed Tunchanok ‘had a brain injury and she suffocated’.
‘She had no other injuries,’ Colonel Anek Srathongyoo from Pattaya City Police said.
‘We also collected Simon [Carman’s] DNA and matched it to DNA found on Cake’s.’
Nine days before her death, Tunchanok travelled from her home in Thailand’s north, about 600km to the bustling city of Pattaya.
She wanted a holiday to ‘see the beach’ and visit friends, promising her family she would return soon.
Tunchanok had given friends Carman’s address after the pair met up on Jomtien Beach in the early hours of June 25.
A concerned friend reported the teen missing to police the following day and later confronted Carman at his condo after she disappeared.
Police allege Carman had by then suffocated Tunchanok and put her body in a suitcase before abandoning it a short scooter ride away.
A murder conviction in Thailand can result in the death penalty or a jail sentence of 15 to 20 years.
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