Koh Tao rape claim dismissed by Thai police, citing lack of evidence and no DNA

[webfact]

Koh Tao rape claim dismissed by Thai police, citing lack of evidence and no DNA

 

 

Thai police have dismissed a claim made by a 19 year old British woman that she was raped on Koh Tao.

 

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday morning, Thai police said they had uncovered no new evidence in the investigation.

 

Thailand’s National Police Chief Chakthip Chaijinda said that a team of officers travelled from Thailand to speak with the British woman.

 

However, she was unable to tell them important details such as the location of where the rape was meant to have taken place and a description of the suspect, meaning there was insufficient evidence to investigate the case further.

 

 

Police also said that they examined a t-shirt which the woman claimed contained semen of her attacker.

 

However, police did not find any traces of semen on the t-shirt.

 

“To conclude, there is no new evidence in this case”, Police Gen. Chakthip told the media.

 

The British woman had said she was raped on Koh Tao on June 25th but only reported the incident to the police on neighbouring Koh Phangan on July 4th.

 

The woman alleged that police on the island would not accept her rape complaint.

 

However, Koh Phangan police said that the woman only made a report stating she was robbed of her smartphone, 3,000 baht in cash and credit cards.

 

The woman then returned to the UK.

 

Earlier this month she was interviewed by Thai police, interpreters and officers from the UK.

 

It was the first time a team of Thai police had flown overseas to conduct an investigation, Immigration chief, Police Maj. Gen. Surachet Hakparn said.

 

Source: Thai Immigration

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-10-16

 

 

British woman’s ‘rape’ never happened, Thai police conclude

By THE NATION

 

 

A BRITISH teen who claimed to have been drugged and raped on Koh Tao in June has failed to confirm the site of the attack, identity of the attacker or how the attack happened while being questioned in the UK, Thai police officers said.

File photo: Koh Tao // The Nation photo

 

British police also handed over a T-shirt the 19-year-old woman wore on June 25, the day of the alleged attack, and forensic tests found the DNA of a woman and a man but no trace of the attacker’s semen, as she claimed. 

 

Pol Lt-Colonel Piyapong Boonkaew, who was among Thai officers who went to the UK, said he talked to the woman and showed her photos of three spots on Koh Tao for her to confirm where the incident happened.

 

“However, she could not identify the site of the attack nor the identity of the attacker. She could not even provide details on how the attack happened,” Piyapong said.

 

 

Therefore, due to the lack of sufficient information offered by the woman, Thai police could not proceed with the investigation, he said.

 

Speaking at the same press conference, national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said it has been concluded that there was no rape on Koh Tao as claimed by the woman and police considered the investigation closed.

 

“However if there is any new evidence or the claimant comes to Thailand to provide more information, we will be ready to reopen the investigation,” Chakthip said.

 

The alleged victim did not file a report with Koh Tao police. Instead, she returned to the UK in early July and reported the alleged rape to her mother, who then lodged a report with local police. The mother gave police a blue T-shirt that her daughter claimed contained the attacker’s DNA.

 

It was then that Piyapong’s team, which included a policewoman and an interpreter, went to the UK to talk to the girl with the permission of UK police.

 

Acting Immigration police chief Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakparn said no action would be taken against the woman, even though officials considered it confirmed that the rape report was false.

 

“The woman did not file any police complaint about the attack, therefore we cannot charge her [with making] a false claim,” he said, adding that Thai police had merely tried to clarify facts as the publicity has tarnished the country’s reputation.

 

 

Police did, however, issue arrest warrants for the administrators of two Facebook pages – CSI LA and Samui Times – as well as Facebook users who shared the pages’ information for allegedly distributing false information about the woman’s claim.

 

FB users who shared the information have been arrested and released on bail, while the administrators of both FB pages are still at large.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30356569

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-17

[NanLaew]

Fact. There is very little evidence and the t-shirt was a very, very long shot even in the best of circumstances.

 

Chances are this young lady was assaulted and I would wager it was by an opportunistic, non-Thai, drunk, stoned, gap-year, backpacking piece of sh!t.

 

Stating 'lack of evidence' doesn't say it didn't happen and handily obviates the necessity of the former head of the Tourist police following up on his obnoxious threat to prosecute the victim for lying.

[dcsw53]

Nicely swept under the carpet. No semen so no case. I guess that running a DNA test would have been a step too far and might have prompted further investigation.

[darksidedog]

So the police have reached the conclusion they had decided upon before even beginning to investigate. How predictable.

[unamazedloso]

very unprofessional again. you dont need a table full of police to get your messege across because no one believes anything that come from their mouths. Makes y'all look stoopid.

Girl should hit them up for defemation now?

[Darcula]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

insufficient evidence to investigate the case further

 

Confidence must be at an all time high. This time they're not even bothering themselves with a couple of burmese scapegoats and a roti-selling translator.

 

[NanLaew]

3 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

So the police have reached the conclusion they had decided upon before even beginning to investigate. How predictable.

I hope they enjoyed their shopping on their last night in town though.

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, unamazedloso said:

Girl should hit them up for defemation now?

Why? They haven't called her the liar that they said they would.

[ThreeEyedRaven]

7 minutes ago, Darcula said:

 

Confidence must be at an all time high. This time they're not even bothering themselves with a couple of burmese scapegoats and a roti-selling translator.

 

Lack of bodies is making them lazy.

[evadgib]

Policing in this country is a big joke.

[Samui Bodoh]

I have to say that if there isn't some kind of corroborating evidence, I don't see how a case could proceed, even though I tend to believe her; how could you toss someone in jail for several years based solely on what one person says?. There needs to be more evidence than what we have seen to do that.

 

That said, nothing changes for me and my two questions;

 

1. Do you believe that the police on Koh Tao were seeking justice for the complainant or were they seeking to protect Koh Tao's tourism industry? I believe the former.
2. Would you allow your wife/daughter/sister/female friend/loved ones to stay on that island? No, not a chance in hell.

 

Simply put, there have been too many unexplained incidences over the last few years to permit me to feel comfortable telling anyone to go there. And, if I can't honestly say to people "Go", then I say "Don't go!".

 

Until the police can provide security guarantees to a reasonable level, I will say to one and all, "Boycott!" until they do; the onus is on them...

 

 

 

[rkidlad]

The RTP spent all that money to get a statement they had already received before. Well, at least they have the t-shirt now. 

 

Maybe by spending all this money and having the RTP’s top dogs making statements on an alleged rape they think they’re further cementing in people’s minds that it didn’t happen. For me, it just further cements my initial thoughts that they’re doing all they can to protect the island’s reputation and bottom line. 

 

 

[ukrules]

I wonder if there was any investigation back in the UK by the British police

 

How did the Thais get the T-shirt, has it already been tested by UK authorities?

 

She said there was evidence there, was this just a guess or has it been confirmed with a laboratory?

[sweatalot]

gaiving them the shirt without examining it  before in the UK was an incredible mistake.

 

At least they stopped claiming she wasn't raped. Just t hey found no evidence. ( How? months after the event because they refused to accept her record)

 

So now it should be legal to say the woman was probably raped in Koh Tao. Thai Police started investigation months later  and then found no evidence

[Classic Ray]

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I have to say that if there isn't some kind of corroborating evidence, I don't see how a case could proceed, even though I tend to believe her; how could you toss someone in jail for several years based solely on what one person says?. There needs to be more evidence than what we have seen to do that.

 

That said, nothing changes for me and my two questions;

 

1. Do you believe that the police on Koh Tao were seeking justice for the complainant or were they seeking to protect Koh Tao's tourism industry? I believe the former.
2. Would you allow your wife/daughter/sister/female friend/loved ones to stay on that island? No, not a chance in hell.

 

Simply put, there have been too many unexplained incidences over the last few years to permit me to feel comfortable telling anyone to go there. And, if I can't honestly say to people "Go", then I say "Don't go!".

 

Until the police can provide security guarantees to a reasonable level, I will say to one and all, "Boycott!" until they do; the onus is on them...

 

 

 

I think you mean “the latter”, not “the former”.

[poanoi]

the thai police went to confront the british girl because they had evidence she was lying through her teeth, otherwise they wouldnt have went

[rkidlad]

1 minute ago, poanoi said:

the thai police went to confront the british girl because they had evidence she was lying through her teeth, otherwise they wouldnt have went

Ah, and where is that evidence? Surely if they had evidence she was lying they would have shown the public. Would be mind numbingly stupid not to. 

[poanoi]

20 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

Ah, and where is that evidence? Surely if they had evidence she was lying they would have shown the public. Would be mind numbingly stupid not to. 

that was the purpose of both the statement she would be banned and the purpose of going there, but eventually it looks like someone decided to tone down the incident.

evidence ? it has been reported they had surveillance camera all night long and not a mosquito made it into her room,

 

[Samui Bodoh]

  1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I have to say that if there isn't some kind of corroborating evidence, I don't see how a case could proceed, even though I tend to believe her; how could you toss someone in jail for several years based solely on what one person says?. There needs to be more evidence than what we have seen to do that.

 

That said, nothing changes for me and my two questions;

 

1. Do you believe that the police on Koh Tao were seeking justice for the complainant or were they seeking to protect Koh Tao's tourism industry? I believe the former.
2. Would you allow your wife/daughter/sister/female friend/loved ones to stay on that island? No, not a chance in hell.

 

Simply put, there have been too many unexplained incidences over the last few years to permit me to feel comfortable telling anyone to go there. And, if I can't honestly say to people "Go", then I say "Don't go!".

 

Until the police can provide security guarantees to a reasonable level, I will say to one and all, "Boycott!" until they do; the onus is on them...

 

 

 

I think you mean “the latter”, not “the former”.

•  

 

You are correct! Oops!

 

Getting old...

 

Thanks Classic Ray

Cheers

 

[rkidlad]

25 minutes ago, poanoi said:

that was the purpose of both the statement she would be banned and the purpose of going there, but eventually it looks like someone decided to tone down the incident.

evidence ? it has been reported they had surveillance camera all night long and not a mosquito made it into her room,

 

Sorry, what? Are you saying they always had evidence she was lying so they threatened her with arrest and blacklisting. That didn't go down well publicly, so they went to the UK to have a quiet word in her ear that they have evidence so pack it in?

 

Wow! That's quite the yarn you've spun there.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

However, she was unable to tell them important details such as the location of where the rape was meant to have taken place and a description of the suspect, meaning there was insufficient evidence to investigate the case further. 

 

I thought the prior media reports of her account had her saying she woke up and saw a man either next to her or standing over her. So based on that, she clearly saw a man when she awoke. How much she was able to describe him or remember the details after the fact, I wonder if we'll ever hear...

[Mickmouse1]

Why there are 6 officers to deliver a simple statement ?

How many of the foreign press and media reps were there?

What type of questions were asked? 

If any , where are the answers? 

[JLCrab]

This is getting to be a Heads I win Tails you lose situation:

 

If the RTP had not gone to the UK to interview the alleged victim, there would have been cries on here of "What are you afraid of? Can't face the truth, huh?"

[poanoi]

20 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

Sorry, what? Are you saying they always had evidence she was lying so they threatened her with arrest and blacklisting. That didn't go down well publicly, so they went to the UK to have a quiet word in her ear that they have evidence so pack it in?

 

Wow! That's quite the yarn you've spun there.

no, not have a quiet word, but publicly ridicule her,

but someone decided to tone it down

in the final statement

[frank83628]

24 minutes ago, poanoi said:

that was the purpose of both the statement she would be banned and the purpose of going there, but eventually it looks like someone decided to tone down the incident.

evidence ? it has been reported they had surveillance camera all night long and not a mosquito made it into her room,

 

i think youre confusing this with the Phangan story.?

[rkidlad]

1 minute ago, poanoi said:

no, not have a quiet word, but publicly ridicule her,

but someone decided to tone it down

They went to the UK to publicly ridicule her but then decided not to? 

[poanoi]

15 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

i think youre confusing this with the Phangan story.?

ah, another case of lying  then ?

guess its all the rave to claim having been raped on a thai beach now, since they didnt get any IRL

[richard_smith237]

24 minutes ago, poanoi said:

that was the purpose of both the statement she would be banned and the purpose of going there, but eventually it looks like someone decided to tone down the incident.

evidence ? it has been reported they had surveillance camera all night long and not a mosquito made it into her room,

 

 

Neither did she apparently... wasn't it alleged that the attack took place on the beach?

 

Having followed this story, I have not read of surveillance footage being available (but could easily have missed that fact) which reputable news outlet or source stated this?

[poanoi]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Neither did she apparently... wasn't it alleged that the attack took place on the beach?

 

Having followed this story, I have not read of surveillance footage being available (but could easily have missed that fact) which reputable news outlet or source stated this?

looks like i mistook it for another case of lies, see 2 posts above

[bannork]

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

I wonder if there was any investigation back in the UK by the British police

 

How did the Thais get the T-shirt, has it already been tested by UK authorities?

 

She said there was evidence there, was this just a guess or has it been confirmed with a laboratory?

Didn't she give her T shirt, which she said had senen stains on it from that night, to the UK authorities? And the UK police have said nothing about any DNA on the shirt?

Oh dear.