Breaking: Australian accused of murdering Thai teenager pleads not guilty

Accused murderer Simon Peter Carman pleads not guilty in first court appearancePosted Fri 18 Sep 2026 at 3:36pmFri 18 Sep 2026 at 3:36pm, updated Fri 18 Sep 2026 at 3:58pmFri 18 Sep 2026 at 3:58pmAustralian Simon Carman was arrested in Thailand in late June. (AP/ViralPress)In short: An Australian man accused of murdering a 17-year-old girl in Thailand after picking her up in Pattaya has fronted court for the first time.Simon Peter Carman, 45, pleaded not guilty to all four charges and told the court he acted in self-defence.What's next?The next court date is set for October 12.Simon Peter Carman, the Australian man accused of murdering Thai teenager Tunchanok Donhomla in June, has pleaded not guilty to all charges in his first court appearance since the girl's death.Mr Carman fronted the Pattaya Provincial Court in Thailand today.He is facing four charges including murder, concealing a corpse, and abducting a minor for indecent purposes.The 45-year-old pleaded not guilty to all charges and told the court he had acted in self defence.He also urged the court to grant him bail and said that he did not pose a flight risk.Prosecutors objected to the bail application.The next court date is set for October 12.Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, was from the Kalasin province in Thailand. (Supplied: Pattaya Police)Thai police have accused Mr Carman of picking up Ms Tunchanok along Pattaya's popular Beach Road in June, then killing her and discarding the body.The 17-year-old was last seen alive on CCTV walking hand in hand with Mr Carman into the elevators of his condo building on June 25.Police found her body, which had been stuffed into a suitcase and dumped along railway tracks near Mr Carman's accommodation, two days later.Mr Carman was arrested at Bangkok's international airport on June 27 while trying to board a Jetstar flight to Perth.He has been held in Thai police custody since.