Thai Police Arrest British Man Wanted On Child Rape Charges

[sriracha john]

From the fairly recent to the brand new on thaivisa:

1. John Karr of USA

2. Sean McMahon of UK

3. Brian Jones of Canada

----------------------------

3 names... 3 wanted fugitives... 3 teachers in Thailand

Something is very amiss

Edited February 13, 2007 by sriracha john

[Maxwell Book]

I don't disagree John, but if the numbers are correct, the percentage of offenders versus the number of teachers is quite small. I saw a number somewhere that their were nearly seven thousand foreign teacher work permits issued in the last year. Three of the seven thousand have been found to be facing charges back home. One was cleared of all charges but still he is a psycho.

The numbers do not bear out a crisis. The numbers don't suggest that the general foreign teacher population at large is suspect.

Some perspective is needed.

[solo siam]

thats 3 of the 7000 that have been caught, god knows how many more out there.

I agree with the poster who said that all teachers should be fingerprinted and have their photo/photocopy of passport sent to their embassy prior to employment, What harm could that do?

[Maxwell Book]

It probably could be argued that there is a higher percentage of deviants and criminals among the non-teaching expat community in Thailand than among the teaching community.

[Dupont]

It probably could be argued that there is a higher percentage of deviants and criminals among the non-teaching expat community in Thailand than among the teaching community.

And that is the understatement of the day, month and year so far my friend!

[sriracha john]

and yet... teachers are, by the very nature of their work, placed in a level of direct contact with children that most expats are not even close to. They are afforded a level of trust by the general public that far exceeds that given to most expats.

I would expect there to be more fallout from this trio... beyond what the first on the list generated.

[Maxwell Book]

However, the government's response to these predators slipping through the cracks is very limited.

I say those who teach in Thailand should be screened as anyone working with children are screened in the West. But if the schools are complicit in helping these phoney teachers teach, they too must be held accountable.

The two teachers nabbed for fake documents recently paid dearly for their fraud, but the school which helped them pass the forged documents to Thai authorities are getting away with absolutely no penalty.

This double standard will not solve the problem. If schools are not given an equal penalty, then this problem will persist. Phoney teachers will continue to try to ply their trade and offending schools will continue to help pass them off as legit educators.

Edited February 13, 2007 by Maxwell Book

[Maxwell Book]

and yet... teachers are, by the very nature of their work, placed in a level of direct contact with children that most expats are not even close to. They are afforded a level of trust by the general public that far exceeds that given to most expats.

I would expect there to be more fallout from this trio... beyond what the first on the list generated.

I agree again. However, teachers are brought into a system that has some accountability and supervision while countless foreigners who come here and stay without documentation do not.

[gummy]

There are sexual deviants everywhere. Frankly if proven and I mean proven not just alleged ! then they should be thrown in prison and the key chucked away. However that is only my opinion.

Thailand is probably no worse or better than some other countries. It is just that some of these cases are prolifergated by the media perhaps to highlight the "bad foreigners" again?

Sri Lanka and Cambodia also has it far share. But then a few years ago their was the huge outcry about the Belgium child porn ring that apparantly went to the upper eschelons of Belgium society and last week of course there was the huge child porn ring smashed in Austria. So one must put it in perspective and expect all those in authority to be as vigilant as is practicably possible. Perhaps VOA for all countries should be abolished and and a VISA entry scheme with a police record check would be more appropraite these days to protect our children from these international perverts irrespective of whether it is Thailand , Brazil, Cuba or indeed the EU

Edited February 13, 2007 by gummy

[Mai Krap]

The problem here is very basic, the guys in question were very high profile fugitives from modern countries yet they remained at large for years in Thailand. More importantly they were given positions as teachers and god only knows if they molested kids here. Rape/Pedophilia is a commen theme in Thailand and I dont really care who disagrees on that. Its one of those subjects thats a unspoken topic and off limets. Just look what what happens that we know of, The poor girl who reported a rape only to be raped by the police and all the inuendos of the police raping girls on a regular basis, just ask around. Everytime a woman or girl points out a rapest in Thailand it seems the witchhunt begins to prove they are a whore and I want to bet the house that 95% of all rapes here go unreported.

The real meat of the story is if high profile fugitives who are known sexual preditors and wanted for violent crimes in the U.K. and U.S. can parade themselves as teachers here what else are we missing? Child molestation is not just a Thai problem but here less is being done about it than in any country outside of Cambodia. Correct me if Im wrong but is it not a life sentance now in the Phillipines, not that they are getting it right either but their was a mass exedus of perverts concerning kids there a few years ago. The story goes they packed up and moved to Cambodia. In the 90s Thailand was known for kiddie sex and was a destination for these types who openly flaunted such things here. Thank God or Bhudda or whoever those days are over and behind us. Now its time to clean up the schools and the best way to do that is to either have the Thais or ones home country issue teacher certificates that include a yearly fingerprinting and backround check for sex crimes to anyone who wishes to teach children.

Im under no delusions here and Im not on drugs. I realize Thailand has many problems just as any devolping and even developed nations have. I do not expect to see many of them corrected in my lifetime but this is one issue that I believe could be elimininated, the issue of wanted felons of violent sex crimes being placed in charge of children in the backwaters and cities of Thailand.

[Ijustwannateach]

What I've pointed out multiple times on other threads is still true: MOST LIKELY ALL THREE OF THE GUYS SRJ HAS JUST NAMED WERE WORKING ILLEGALLY.

That means:

No PAPERWORK- no WORK PERMIT- no PROPER VISA-

In other words, cracking down on teachers who DO have such papers will do NOTHING to keep out such trash.

The failures occurred FIRST at immigration: where were the police when they came through immigration? Surely by now it's no surprise if a wanted man from many countries shows up here? Don't they have wanted lists and photo IDs? Heck, when the Canadian came in he was travelling on his OWN passport which was apparently valid at the time!!!

The failures occurred SECOND at the police department: why aren't schools held accountable for doing the paperwork? If they were, at least 2 of these guys (and eventually the third) would have been identified, and if there were any other dodgy ones out there they'd be caught if they tried to get teaching jobs. It's because the SCHOOLS are never penalised that dodgy types keep applying to work there. The recent KSR raid was a pre-planned joke- they simply took the names and searched for them. It did nothing to cut down on teachers who have no paperwork at all.

To suggest that cracking down through MORE REGULATIONS FOR TEACHERS WHO ARE PROPERLY REGISTERED will do anything to help the situation is just making things worse. It will, as I have pointed out, decrease the potential supply of legal teachers willing to put up with the already practically impossible and very unattractive situation and simply put ALL teachers under the radar where there is no discrimination among them at all.

"Steven"

[sriracha john]

From the fairly recent to the brand new on thaivisa:

1. John Karr of USA

2. Sean McMahon of UK

3. Brian Jones of Canada

----------------------------

3 names... 3 wanted fugitives... 3 teachers in Thailand

Something is very amiss

In the spirit of IJWT's post:

From the fairly recent to the brand new on thaivisa:

1. ???

2. Pathai Udom Suksa School in Laksi, Bangkok

3. Banprang School in Pau, Nan

-----------------------------

3 schools... 3 not in compliance... 3 employing wanted fugitives

Something is very amiss

========================================================================

(I'd appreciate if someone supplied the name of #1... as the search engine is being uncooperative. thank you)

[John K]

I agree with you Steven, but the problem comes in the wages. With the low wages they can’t attract quality help. Was the not some sort of penalty passed last year fining the school? I guess it only applies to non Thai schools.

[JetsetBkk]

This guy is an ex Kanchanaburi resident I'm embarrased to say. Met him a few times..!!

Hmm, I wonder if you know my g/f? She was talking to McMahon's Thai g/f for 2 hours this afternoon - Saturday. My g/f is from Kanchanaburi and has known his g/f for several years. I met her when she visited here about a month ago. McMahon's g/f is, quite naturally, totally distraught and says the allegations about the rape were made by his English ex-wife to cause him trouble. I know who the 8 year old girl is, but won't say, as it appears not to be public knowledge.

Whether any of the allegations against him are true, I just don't know. But it really is both sad and comical to read the majority of posts on this subject here, from the daft "Why is he grinning" to the stupid "Hang him up by the balls".

Yeah, forget about a trial. Thaivisa members know the truth.

[alleykat]

Time will tell if he's found guilty or not. But if he did indeed jump bail in the UK back in 1999 it raises a lot of doubts. Apparently he's still being held at Klong Prem, anyone have any idea why he's being kept in Thailand so long?

[kmart]

I would never assume the guilt of anyone arrested in this country. The cops here are so lazy, arrogant and bent that finding scapegoats is the norm, and nationalistic grandstanding when apprehending a foreigner is an apparent bonus.

However, if the pay for teachers is so lousy here, why are there so many teachers still in Thailand, when other countries around the area offer much better packages?

[StateSix]

This guy is an ex Kanchanaburi resident I'm embarrased to say. Met him a few times..!!

Hmm, I wonder if you know my g/f? She was talking to McMahon's Thai g/f for 2 hours this afternoon - Saturday. My g/f is from Kanchanaburi and has known his g/f for several years. I met her when she visited here about a month ago. McMahon's g/f is, quite naturally, totally distraught and says the allegations about the rape were made by his English ex-wife to cause him trouble. I know who the 8 year old girl is, but won't say, as it appears not to be public knowledge.

Whether any of the allegations against him are true, I just don't know. But it really is both sad and comical to read the majority of posts on this subject here, from the daft "Why is he grinning" to the stupid "Hang him up by the balls".

Yeah, forget about a trial. Thaivisa members know the truth.

The facts are that the guy was charged with rape of a child. It is very unlikely that this would happen based solely on allegations from his ex-wife. If sexual abuse had occurred there would be medical evidence. If he is innocent why did he skip bail? You have to admit that that looks a little suspicious.

You say his g/f says the allegations were made by his ex-wife to cause trouble. Would it have been McMahon who told her this? Is it possible that he may have lied to her?

You are right though about those who post 'lock him up' or 'kill him', when he hasn't even been found guilty yet.

[StateSix]

I would never assume the guilt of anyone arrested in this country. The cops here are so lazy, arrogant and bent that finding scapegoats is the norm, and nationalistic grandstanding when apprehending a foreigner is an apparent bonus.

The arrest in this case though was at the request of the british authorities, and has nothing to do with the Thai authorities and their 'shortcomings'.

[sriracha john]

UPDATE...he's pled guilty in the UK

Tsunami chaos let sex attacker stay free

A sex attacker who fled to Thailand was due to be arrested on the day the country was hit by the tsunami of December 2004, a court was told yesterday.

In the chaos that followed the disaster the arrest warrant for Sean McMahon was forgotten. In 2006 his passport was renewed by the British Embassy in Bangkok because updates from the Police National Computer were not passed on.

McMahon, 46, from Kenton, Devon, evaded capture from 1999 until 2007 before he was extradited to Britain over the alleged rape of a girl aged 8.

Yesterday he pleaded guilty to charges including attempted rape. Exeter Crown Court was told that after consulting the victim, the Crown had not pursued the rape charge because he had admitted attempted rape.

- The Times (UK)

[sbk]

Thanks for the update sj, now per regular forum guidelines, this thread is closed

Please PM a mod with further updates

///CLOSED///

[Jai Dee]

MAN ADMITS ATTEMPTED CHILD RAPE CHARGES

A man who jumped bail and fled to Thailand to escape arrest in connection with two attempted child rapes in Torquay will be sentenced today.

Sean McMahon, 45, was due to be arrested on the day the tsunami struck the Far East on Boxing Day 2004.But following the disaster it was another two years before 45-year-old McMahon was tracked down and later extradited back to Devon.

Yesterday McMahon admitted two charges of attempted rape when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court.

He had already admitted three charges of indecent assault and two of indecency with a child.

McMahon, from Whitcombe Farm, Kenton, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced today.

His victim was said to be pleased that McMahon had finally accepted responsibility for the attacks.

The attempted rapes and indecency offences were committed in Torquay between 1997 and 1998 and the victim was under 16 at the time.

Prosecutor William Hart said the pleas entered by McMahon were acceptable to the Crown and the victim, who was content that her abuser conceded that he was trying to have sex with her.

McMahon was arrested in 1999 after the allegations were made and he admitted some of the lesser offences. He was then released on bail and fled to Thailand where officials said he was working as a teacher.

Following extradition papers being forward to the authorities in Bangkok, McMahon was tracked down and arrested before being brought back to this country.

He was due to stand trial yesterday but sentence was adjourned after he pleaded acceptably.

Judge Paul Darlow said he was sure the victim was 'extremely grateful that she had been spared the ordeal of having to give evidence'.

After the case Detective Constable Diane Gaze, from the child protection unit, said McMahon had been traced to Thailand after an ex-partner received some correspondence from him.

She said the victim was pleased and satisfied that McMahon had finally accepted responsibility for what he had done to her.

Source: Herald Express (UK) - 04 March 2008

Thanks to SRJ for providing the link. Topic re-opened to post update and closed again.

[Pattaya_Fox]

CHILD ABUSER GETS NINE YEARS IN JAIL AFTER EXTRADITION

11:40 - 05 March 2008

Express & Echo

A child abuser who fled to Thailand to escape justice has been jailed for nine years after being extradited back to Devon.

At Exeter Crown Court yesterday, Sean McMahon, 46, was told by Judge Paul Darlow: "These offences were a gross breach of trust against a girl who was aged nine and 10.

"One can only feel sympathy for the pain she felt and still feels. She had to wait a considerable time as you fled abroad to escape the consequences and you waited years until you admitted what you actually did."

Truck driver McMahon, of Whitcombe Farm, Kenton, had pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted rape, three of indecent assault and two of indecency with a child.

Prosecutor William Hart said that after McMahon's victim had revealed what had happened to her, he was arrested but initially denied anything inappropriate had happened.

He then admitted the less serious indecency offences but after being granted bail he failed to turn up at Torbay Magistrates' Court in 1999 and fled to Thailand.

He remained there until he was finally tracked down by the Thai authorities and was extradited back to the UK in January 2007.

But it was only on Monday that McMahon finally pleaded guilty to the two charges of attempted rape.

The prosecutor said the sexual abuse embarked upon by McMahon happened at the girl's home and the offences occurred in her bedroom and in the loft.

When she was video interviewed by the police, the victim said McMahon had tried to have sex with her and "it was really horrible".

When he was interviewed and finally made limited admissions, McMahon said the girl was "just growing up and in some sixth sense I was trying to be educational. It sounds so sick."

Mr Hart said the victim had turned up at court expecting to have to give evidence and when he told her that McMahon was going to enter acceptable pleas she just burst into tears.

"In her victim impact statement, she comes across as a balanced young lady who wanted justice but was not vindictive," said Mr Hart.

"She has been very sensible throughout but has been hiding a great deal of pain and misery since this defendant got his hands on her."

Mitigating, Simon Laws said the abuse happened on a handful of occasions and it was not a case of a defendant who had slipped into habitual abuse.

McMahon was also ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders' Register for life and banned from working with children indefinitely.