Australian Man Admits Hiding Teen's Body in Pattaya
An Australian man has admitted to hiding the body of a 17‑year‑old Thai girl in a suitcase dumped beside a Pattaya railway line, while denying he murdered her or abducted her for sexual purposes and claiming self‑defence. The case, which began after the girl’s body was found in June, is now proceeding in the Pattaya Provincial Court with witness hearings set for December.
On 25 June 2026 at about 03:34, CCTV inside a condominium in Bang Lamung district, Chonburi, recorded the victim entering the building with Simon before going up to the 15th‑floor room; she was never seen leaving the building. At 21:34 the same day, the same foreign man was filmed dragging a large black suitcase out of the condominium, loading it onto the rear of a red Yamaha Aerox motorcycle, and riding along Sukhumvit Road toward Chiang Phueak Soi 2 and the road parallel to the railway, then returning the same way without the suitcase.
Later, the victim’s friends filed a complaint with Pattaya City Police. Officers investigated, reviewed the CCTV and inspected the room, finding signs of a struggle. They located Simon at Suvarnabhumi Airport on 26 June 2026 as he was preparing to leave the country. Police then traced his route and discovered the black suitcase, about 26 inches, dumped in grassland beside the railway roughly 4.2 kilometres from the condominium. Inside they found the young woman’s body with facial injuries, identified her, and sent the corpse for autopsy while gathering forensic evidence.
On 17 September 2026, the Pattaya Provincial Prosecutor filed charges against Simon at the Pattaya Provincial Court for intentional murder, concealment of a corpse, and abducting a minor for sexual purposes. On 18 September Simon denied all charges and requested bail, which the court refused due to flight risk. After evidence was examined on 12 October, the Pattaya Provincial Court set the prosecution witness‑hearing dates for 8‑9 December 2026 and the defence witness‑hearing for 11 December 2026.
