Australian man claims self-defence in Thai suitcase case

Australian man Simon Peter Carman pleaded not guilty at Pattaya Provincial Court on Friday in the case over the death of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found in a suitcase near a railway track in Pattaya.

A court statement said Carman, 45, denied all charges, citing “self-defence and a mistaken belief about the victim's age”. It did not give further details.

Carman is charged with murder, concealing a body and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for indecent purposes. The court denied his bail application after prosecutors opposed release, saying he posed a flight risk. The next court date was set for October 12.

Carman was arrested at a Bangkok airport in June as he prepared to fly back to Australia, after the teenager's friend reported her missing. Police said the girl died of suffocation.

Police previously said CCTV footage showed Carman entering a Pattaya condominium with the girl and leaving that evening carrying a large black suitcase.