An Australian man accused of killing a Thai teenager and concealing her remains in a suitcase has indicated he intends to plead guilty to hiding the body.
Simon Peter Carman, 45, made the admission during a procedural hearing at Pattaya Provincial Court on Monday over the death of 17-year-old Tunchanok ‘Cake’ Donhomla.
Despite accepting responsibility for concealing the teenager’s body, Carman continues to deny murdering her. He claims he acted in self-defence and says he was unaware of Tunchanok’s true age.
Carman, a Perth truck driver, told the court he would plead guilty to placing Tunchanok’s naked body inside a black suitcase and abandoning it beside railway tracks on the outskirts of Pattaya on June 27.
Security footage reportedly showed the teenager holding hands with Carman as the pair entered the lobby of his condominium two days before her body was discovered.
A recent autopsy found that Tunchanok had suffered a brain injury, along with injuries described as being consistent with suffocation.
Carman was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on the day the body was found, shortly before he was due to board a Jetstar flight to Perth.
He had previously denied charges including intentional murder, concealing a corpse, moving or destroying a body, and abducting a minor for indecent purposes.
The body of Thai teenager Tunchanok ‘Cake’ Donhomla was discovered inside a suitcase near railway tracks outside Pattaya
Australian national Simon Peter Carman, centre, is accused of murdering the Thai teenager in June
Carman appeared in court on Monday and indicated he would plead guilty to concealing Ms Donhomla’s body. He is pictured being transported in a prison truck
The judge told Carman that the evidence against him on the corpse-concealment charge appeared strong, while a confession could lead to a more lenient outcome. Carman then indicated that he would change his plea to guilty.
Appearing in court barefoot and restrained at the wrists and ankles, Carman maintained that he had been forced to protect himself after Tunchanok allegedly held a knife against his throat.
He claimed the teenager died unexpectedly after he grabbed and squeezed her jaw, insisting that he did not apply pressure to her neck.
During the hearing, Carman also asked to be released on bail, according to The West Australian.
The court informed him that his bail application had already been refused.
“I haven’t done anything to deserve this,” Carman responded.
“I am innocent and they cannot lock up an innocent man.”
The presiding judge urged Carman to enter a guilty plea to the murder charge, which would allow him to put forward his claim of self-defence.
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Carman, pictured above, has repeatedly claimed that Ms Donhomla died after allegedly attacking him with a knife
Ms Donhomla’s (above) body was found hidden in a suitcase by a train track outside Pattaya
Carman previously claimed the teenager had followed him home but CCTV showed them holding hands (above) as they walked into his condo
‘Why should I plead guilty? I would be lying to myself and everyone,’ Carman replied.
The Australian was also asked in court about whether he would pay $70,000 in compensation to Tunchanok’s family, as is common in Thai criminal cases.
Carman said that he would not pay the family as he had done nothing wrong but would consider helping them if he was released on bail.
Tunchanok’s grieving family confronted Carman in the courtroom before he could be led away, the ABC reported.
‘Why did you kill her?’ her cousin Khanitta Nongkhampoon asked.
Carman replied: ‘I didn’t kill Cake.’
‘She’s responsible for her own death. She had a knife to my throat.
‘I don’t feel guilty because I haven’t done anything wrong.’
The teen’s naked body was found inside a black suitcase dumped near railway tracks outside Pattaya on June 27 – two days after she was last seen
Tunchanok’s family on Friday filed a separate civil lawsuit against him and are seeking more than $51,000 in compensation.
The family were appointed a government lawyer to help them as the civil and criminal cases run concurrently, with Carman only required to pay if found guilty.
Carman’s trial is expected to run for several months.
If found guilty of murder, he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty in Thailand
– READ MORE: The heartbreaking promise Tunchanok Donhomla made to her family
– READ MORE: Inside the ‘hellhole’ Thai jail cell where accused Aussie killer Simon Carman is being held