Australian Man Pleads Not Guilty in Thai Girl's Death

An Australian man pleaded not guilty in court Friday to charges of murder and concealment of a body in connection with the death of a teenage girl in Pattaya City, an eastern Thai tourist destination, officials said.

Simon Peter Carman was arrested in June after the 17-year-old girl was reported missing in Pattaya City, about 150 kilometers southeast of Bangkok, and a suitcase containing her body was found soon afterward.

Prosecutors indicted Carman on Thursday, according to Pattaya City Police. He was also charged with two counts of committing indecent acts on a minor.

The Pattaya Provincial Court said in a press release that Carman consulted with his attorney and denied all charges, claiming he was acting in self-defense and that he did not know the girl's real age. His request to be released on bail was denied due to flight risk.

The court scheduled an October 12 hearing to examine the evidence.

Carman is being detained at Pattaya Remand Prison.

A conviction on the charge of premeditated murder carries the possibility of a death penalty.

Police said the girl was last seen on security footage walking into a condominium with Carman. He was later seen leaving the building alone with a large suitcase. Security footage showed him loading it onto a motorbike and riding into a deserted area along the railway.

Carman was arrested at a Bangkok airport before boarding a flight to Australia. Police said subsequent questioning led them to the suitcase containing the girl's body.

In a police interrogation video shared online by Thai media, Carman said he was defending himself because the girl was threatening him with a knife.