An Australian accused of murdering a 17-year-old Thai girl in Pattaya has been described by neighbours as “abnormal” as further details emerged about the events leading up to the alleged killing.

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Simon Peter Carman, 45, is being held in Pattaya Prison after the body of Tunchanok Donhomla, known as “Nong Cake”, was found naked inside a suitcase abandoned near railway tracks. Thai police have charged him with murder, concealing a body, moving a body and offences relating to a minor. Carman denies killing the teenager and claims he acted in self-defence after allegedly being attacked with a knife.

According to investigators, Carman and Tunchanok met on Pattaya Beach Road, an area known locally as Coconut Bar, during the early hours, before returning to his condominium. Police allege the pair had agreed on a payment of 1,000 baht, but an argument broke out after Carman allegedly offered only 500 baht. CCTV reportedly shows the pair entering the condominium together before later capturing Carman wheeling a black suitcase from the building, securing it to a motorbike and riding away. The suitcase was later found in long grass beside railway tracks around ten minutes from his condominium.

Neighbours at the Rimhad Jomtien Condominium, where Carman had lived for about eight months, described him as a quiet resident who worked as a handyman and at a local bar. One resident told Australian media he “speaks slowly and looks at things for a long time” and appeared “a bit abnormal”, but said he was not known to be aggressive. Others said he usually kept to himself, spent time swimming, walking along the beach and carrying out maintenance work, and rarely brought visitors back to his room.

Police arrested Carman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport shortly before he was due to board a flight to Perth. During recorded police interviews, he expressed sympathy to Tunchanok’s family, saying: “I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control.” When asked directly if he had killed the teenager, he replied: “No.” He also claimed scratches and bruises on his body were caused by spiders at his condominium.

Tunchanok’s parents travelled from Kalasin province to collect their daughter’s remains. Her father, Thongchai Donhomla, said he was deeply saddened, while her stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, said she wanted the accused to receive the death penalty. The family said the teenager had only arrived in Pattaya days before her death and that it was her first visit to the city and had kept in touch daily until she disappeared.

The Daily Mall reported that The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the Australian national. Carman remains in custody while Thai authorities continue their investigation and prepare the case for court. If convicted of murder in Thailand, he could face the death penalty.

Picture courtesy of Daily Mail

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailymail 29 June 2026

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Hopefully the Aussie murderer can scrape together some money to pay the parents, it's likely they were relying on the daughters income

Just another dumb nut foreigner in Thailand. There are so many wrongs with this guy it´s hard to explain. Just, bringing a 17-year-old as a 45-year-old is perverted, after agreeing on 1000 and only pay 500, lies and killing as well as body stuffing in suitcase.

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Hopefully the Aussie murderer can scrape together some money to pay the parents, it's likely they were relying on the daughters income

Unfortunately, the 500 from agreed 1000 tells another story about the guy. He´s probably a poor bastard going as a bar helper on daily salary to get by. Total loser!

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The family said the teenager had only arrived in Pattaya days before her death and that it was her first visit to the city.

Besides everything we have the family stating a thing like this. So, their daughter just hooked up with a foreigner on beach road first night in town. Awesome!

5 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Besides everything we have the family stating a thing like this. So, their daughter just hooked up with a foreigner on beach road first night in town. Awesome!

That doesn't tally with what you quoted. It stated that she arrived days before. But whether she was a working girl is neither here nor there. With all those tattoos, she was hardly going to be a total innocent even before her arrival. Likely went to make money to help herself and her family. Not to be killed.

Your last paragraph was somewhat unneccesary.

4 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Police allege the pair had agreed on a payment of 1,000 baht, but an argument broke out after Carman allegedly offered only 500 baht.

So she was killed over an argument over 500 Baht.

For her, it's a lot maybe.

For him, how much is that in Aussie dollars?

One of the most tragic stories in a long time, killing someone over a pittance.

To kill someone in a rage is one thing. To dismember a body after killing someone indicates a special breed of killer. Thankfully now out of circulation.

The teenage girl whatever her story did not deserve to die at the hands of a phycopath.

4 minutes ago, jippytum said:

To kill someone in a rage is one thing. To dismember a body after killing someone indicates a special breed of killer. Thankfully now out of circulation.

The teenage girl whatever her story did not deserve to die at the hands of a phycopath.

No mention of the body being dismembered that I have seen.

He's now being looked at for other bodies that have turned up in the area in suitcases.

Police in Australia probably need to be checking where he was driving as a lorry driver also . Plus what areas he lived in and if moved around a lot .

Doing maintenance and working in a bar.. not retirement visa, not non o with WP....DTV? Student or overstayer.. obvious the kind of tourists these visas attracts... government needs to have a long look at requirements, police check and drug testing to start with, if they had done this the poor girl would still be alive. The parents should demand Immigration do something

So if we take this at face value, the perp killed the girl over 500 baht?

So the poor girl is murdered, only 17 and the Aussie is probably gonna spend the rest of his life in prison at best?

He should of given here the 1000 baht!!

Neighbours at the Rimhad Jomtien Condominium, where Carman had lived for about eight months, described him as a quiet resident who worked as a handyman and at a local bar. One resident told Australian media he “speaks slowly and looks at things for a long time” and appeared “a bit abnormal”, but said he was not known to be aggressive. Others said he usually kept to himself, spent time swimming, walking along the beach and carrying out maintenance work, and rarely brought visitors back to his room.

I.e., your average AU expat.

So she was killed over an argument over 500 Baht.

For her, it's a lot maybe.

For him, how much is that in Aussie dollars?

One of the most tragic stories in a long time, killing someone over a pittance.

I'm not defending the guy at all, but if he was working odd jobs in Pattaya for a living, he may feel differently about 500 baht than you or I do.

He deserves everything coming to him. Her parents should also feel responsible for her chosen path.

4 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'm not defending the guy at all, but if he was working odd jobs in Pattaya for a living, he may feel differently about 500 baht than you or I do.

The court does not deal in trifles.

I will not even respond to that.

Also, 500 Baht is not the going rate.

If you can't afford it, don't engage.

And don't make deals, drag the woman to your room, and then back out on a verbal agreement.

He's a scum.

4 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'm not defending the guy at all, but if he was working odd jobs in Pattaya for a living, he may feel differently about 500 baht than you or I do.

If he's working odd jobs in Pattaya, he should NOT be here!

16 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Doing maintenance and working in a bar.. not retirement visa, not non o with WP....DTV? Student or overstayer.. obvious the kind of tourists these visas attracts... government needs to have a long look at requirements, police check and drug testing to start with, if they had done this the poor girl would still be alive. The parents should demand Immigration do something

Complete guesswork, and if he's as slow as they say he has, I doubt he had the wherewithal to put together an application for a DTV visa.

So why not wait for the facts instead of presuming he had a DTV or any other visa.

He's not going to have a WP, is he? Student visa, doubtful at 46 years old and ' slow ' That wouldn't ring true.

They say he was on disability money from Australia, and he was usually heavily medicated with an assortment of pills due to a previous industrial accident.

Rest assured his life in the BKK Hilton will not be easy, but that is a fact, so all we can hope is for the Thai prison gang members to take their time with him. Old school treatment is in order.

I don't believe for a minute her family didn't know what she was up to or why she was in Pattaya.

That does not excuse in any way the dreadful ending of a life.

A great deal of speculation regarding this person's IQ level who committed murder.

Was she attempting blackmail due to her age? Or was he trying to be a sleazebag and short change her?

We will never know what we do know, is it wasn't worth 25 years in jail or whatever for a few hundred baht.

48 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

No mention of the body being dismembered that I have seen.

Excuse me, are you under a ROCK? My God, the vids are out there of that poor girl in the suitcase chopped up. Ok!!!

3 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

Rest assured his life in the BKK Hilton will not be easy, but that is a fact, so all we can hope is for the Thai prison gang members to take their time with him. Old school treatment is in order.

Again, you speak without knowledge.

Nothing or very little will happen to him at the hands of other inmates, this isn't Australia or the UK or USA.

That is not how Thai prisons work or operate.

Thai prisoners are more interested in if he has money to gamble, buy drugs, etc.

The overwhelming majority or not interested in his crime, they will already know from Thai TV which is in all the cells, they aren't in there for being choirboys!

2 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

Look at the size of that guy? And, the post that she was blackmailing was not confirmed as it was a trolled post. This is not that complicated...that man is mentally retarded and a killer. To chopped that poor girl up is a sign that he does not belong on the planet.

Stop making ridiculous out of this world statements.

He didn't ' chop ' anyone up, she was petite, he stuffed her into a suitcase after killing her, there was no additional mutilation.

6 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

Excuse me, are you under a ROCK? My God, the vids are out there of that poor girl in the suitcase chopped up. Ok!!!

They are NOT!

Show one link to say she was chopped up or one report.

The videos stated in the press show a naked girl, stuffed in a suitcase with injuries, and she had her valuables and clothing inside the suitcase with her.

Nothing about mutilation.

If he's working odd jobs in Pattaya, he should NOT be here!

You won't get any argument from me on that one.

I think we can expect some more backlash against foreigners.

Thank goodness the government reduced entry visas to 30 days. That should keep murderers out. Not.

19 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

They are NOT!

Show one link to say she was chopped up or one report.

The videos stated in the press show a naked girl, stuffed in a suitcase with injuries, and she had her valuables and clothing inside the suitcase with her.

Nothing about mutilation.

Does it really matter if she was cut up or not? That a human being was stuffed into a suitcase like so much garbage has him as a very disturbed creature that has no place in society. Not worth arguing over.

5 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Does it really matter if she was cut up or not? That a human being was stuffed into a suitcase like so much garbage has him as a very disturbed creature that has no place in society. Not worth arguing over.

For accuracy, yes, it matters.

Too many on here post without reading the reports or relying on the facts.

21 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

An Australian accused of murdering a 17-year-old Thai girl in Pattaya has been described by neighbours as “abnormal”

Yes.

He is NOT normal.

57 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

So if we take this at face value, the perp killed the girl over 500 baht?

So the poor girl is murdered, only 17 and the Aussie is probably gonna spend the rest of his life in prison at best?

He should of given here the 1000 baht!!

You shoud never look a gift horse in the mouth.That idiot did not know a bargain when he had one 1000 baht for the night.

"During recorded police interviews, he expressed sympathy to Tunchanok’s family, saying: “I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control.” When asked directly if he had killed the teenager, he replied: “No.” He also claimed scratches and bruises on his body were caused by spiders at his condominium."

Absolute nonsense. Arogant, he thinks everbody is stupid. No remorse whatsoever. I agree 1,000 % with mother that he should receive the death penalty.

12 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

For accuracy, yes, it matters.

Too many on here post without reading the reports or relying on the facts.

I do agree on the second line. But again, the main thing is that this is someone who looks at women as disposable. Sadly they're all around us, and some go to this length when things don't go their twisted ways.