Australian man pleads not guilty to Thai suitcase murder - CNA

The man had been charged with murder, concealing a body and taking a minor for indecent purposes.

A suitcase in which police later found the body of a 17-year-old Thai girl lies in a grassy area near a railway track where it was discovered in Pattaya City, Thailand on Jun 27, 2026. (File photo: Reuters/Teerasak Suttativong)

BANGKOK: An Australian accused of murdering a Thai teenager and stuffing her body in a suitcase pleaded not guilty on Friday (Sep 18) in a hearing in the seaside resort city of Pattaya, a court official said.

Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested at a Bangkok airport on Jun 26 as he prepared to take a flight back to Australia, after the 17-year-old victim's friend 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 Friday 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 in the early hours of Jun 25, 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.

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