Australian man pleads not guilty to Thai suitcase murder

BANGKOK – An Australian accused of murdering a teenage girl in Thailand and abandoning her body in a suitcase pleaded not guilty in court on Sept 18, citing self-defence.Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested at a Bangkok airport in June as he prepared to take a flight back to Australia, after the 17-year-old victim’s friend had reported her missing.The young woman’s body was found in a suitcase near a railway track in Pattaya, a seaside resort city south of the capital Bangkok.Police said she died of suffocation.Carman appeared on Sept 18 at Pattaya Provincial Court, where he denied all charges, citing “self-defence and a mistaken belief about the victim’s age”, a court statement said. It did not elaborate further.The Australian is charged with murder, concealing a body and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for indecent purposes.The court denied Carman’s bail application after prosecutors opposed his release, saying he posed a flight risk. The next court date was set for Oct 12.Police previously said CCTV footage showed him entering a condominium in Pattaya with the girl and leaving that evening carrying a large black suitcase.The case put the spotlight on Pattaya, which is popular with foreign tourists for its beaches and nightlife, but also has a reputation for sex tourism. AFP