Christopher Neil Pleads Not Guilty In Bangkok

[Kerryd]

Canadian pedophile suspect Christopher Neil pleaded not guilty in Thailand Friday to charges relating to the sexual molesting of young boys.

CTV.ca News Staff

A court official confirmed that Neil had denied the charges at a pre-trial court hearing, Reuters reports.

The Bangkok criminal court has set March 10 as the start of Neil's trial.

(full story here:)

Pedophile suspect in Thailand pleads not guilty

I was wondering what happened to this guy. All the press stories when he was arrested, then nothing until now. Of course, by pleading Not Guilty, when the court finds him guilty he will face the maximum punishment (20+ years).

[Maestro]

(Compliments of Sriracha John)

Canadian former schoolteacher Christopher Neil, center, is chained as he walks to a prison bus after hearing a child molesting trial at criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand.

Associated Press

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

Canadian accused of molesting young boys in Thailand pleads not guilty

BANGKOK, Thailand - A Canadian pedophile suspect arrested last year after high-tech detective work and a global manhunt pleaded not guilty Friday to molesting underage boys in Thailand, a Thai court statement said.

Christopher Paul Neil, formerly of Vancouver, was arrested in Thailand on Oct. 19, 2007 after the France-based international police agency Interpol issued a worldwide appeal to identify and apprehend him based on some 200 Internet photos believed to show him carrying out acts of sexual abuse.

In the photos, the face of the perpetrator was digitally obscured, but German police computer experts managed to unscramble the photos so the man's face was recognizable. Interpol circulated the pictures publicly, and from the tips they received identified Neil as the suspect. The boys shown in the photos were believed to be from Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

A statement issued by Bangkok Criminal Court, where Neil appeared Friday, said that he pleaded not guilty to charges of taking a child under 15 without parental consent with intent to molest, punishable by up to 20 years in prison; illegal detention, punishable by up to three years; and sexual abuse of a child under 15, punishable by up to 10 years.

When he was arrested, Neil was charged with sexually molesting a nine-year-old Thai boy in 2003. He was subsequently charged with sexually molesting the boy's older brother, who was 14 at the time, according to police.

Shackled at the ankles and dressed in a pale orange prison uniform, Neil was smiling Friday as he was ushered out of the courthouse with other defendants into a prison van after his hearing.

"Have a day nice day, guys," he said to reporters, but did not answer any question about the trial or the charges he faced.

The court set March 10 as the opening day for his trial. Neil evidently has not yet secured a defence lawyer; he said he would find his own, but the court said it would appoint a lawyer if he does not have one by the first hearing, according to the court statement.

Neil, a schoolteacher, lived in Thailand from 2002 to early 2004, according to police. Three Thai youths contacted police after seeing Neil's photograph on television, claiming he had paid each of them 500 baht to 1,000 baht ($16-32) to perform oral sex on him in 2003. They were aged nine, 13 and 14 at the time of their alleged abuse.

In Canada, Neil's family has said they will do everything they can to support him and have called for his extradition. Canada has sex tourism laws allowing prosecution for crimes committed overseas.

Neil's arrest ended a global manhunt that started in 2004 when the photos were discovered on the Internet of an unidentified man having sex with dozens of Asian boys, some as young as six.

After reversing the digital swirl that had obscured the suspect's face, Interpol issued its unprecedented public appeal for help in identifying him, and were soon able to trace him to Thailand.

Several countries in Southeast Asia are popular with pedophiles because of poverty that drives children and their parents to accept money for sexual favours, and because of lax law enforcement.

- Associated Press

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/080111/w011131A.html

[Maestro]

(advised by Kerryd)

Bangkok Post

March 10, 2008

'Swirly-faced' suspect can't afford lawyer

Accused Canadian paedophile Christopher Paul Neil made his first appearance in court since his arrest last October, but his case was adjourned for three months while the Criminal Court finds him a lawyer.

Neil, 32, is accused of child molestation, child abduction and other offences. When he appeared to face charges on Monday, he claimed he had no defence lawyer.

Continued here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/p...l.php?id=126418

[Maestro]

(advised by Kerryd)

Canadian's trial set to begin in Thailand

01/06/2008 2:35:02 PM

CTV.ca News Staff

Christopher Neil is set to begin his trial in Bangkok Monday for allegedly committing sex crimes against a minor, but his Thai boyfriend says it's "impossible" he could have abused anyone.

Click here to see video.

Canadian pedophile

suspect Christopher Paul

Neil, right, sits next to a

Thai prison official at

criminal court in Bangkok,

Thailand on Monday, March

10, 2008. (AP / Apichart

Weerawong)

Ohm, who only goes by one name and first met Neil three years ago, says the Canadian never gave him the impression he was a pedophile as Thai police have alleged.

"I think it's impossible," he told CTV's Steve Chao in the Thai city of Pattaya. "I didn't know him before, but when I knew him, he looked like a normal guy."

Ohm, 26, is one of Neil's staunchest defenders and has regularly visited him in jail.

"I told him I will wait for him," he said.

Neil, 32, has been charged in Bangkok Criminal Court with:

Taking a child under 15 without parental consent with intent to molest, punishable by up to 20 years in prison;

Illegal detention, punishable by up to three years; and,

Sexual abuse of a child under 15, punishable by up to 10 years.

Neil, from Maple Ridge, B.C. has pleaded not guilty, protested his innocence and told a reporter during a March court appearance: "I hope there will be justice in Thailand."

Prosecutors will be relying on the testimony of one Thai boy and about 70 photographs.

The boy was nine when the alleged incident occurred in 2003.

Neil's lawyer has remained largely tight-lipped about his strategy to defend his client.

"The lawyer said they will show the boy willingly spent time with Neil and plans to refute the charges of sexual abuse and kidnapping," Chao told CTV Newsnet.

The defence thinks the trial could possibly last up to a year, he said.

If Neil is acquitted in Thailand, he could face more charges in nearby Vietnam and Cambodia.

Neil had spent years in Asia teaching English.

He became the object of an international manhunt after the international police agency Interpol unscrambled a digitally altered photo showing a Western man with Asian boys.

The man in that photo was alleged to be Neil.

Police arrested Neil in Thailand in October, while he was staying with Ohm, who says he never knew Neil was a wanted man.

Neil's family in British Columbia reportedly did not provide money for legal counsel, and so Neil has a court-appointed lawyer, Chao said.

With a report by CTV's Steve Chao in Bangkok

Source: http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/Canadians...c&date=True

[Maestro]

(advised by Kerryd)

Thai trial for Canadian pedophile suspect adjourned

CTV.ca News Staff

The trial for a Canadian schoolteacher charged with sexually abusing a nine-year-old boy in Thailand began today, but was quickly adjourned until October.

Video

Christopher Paul Neil, a

32-year-old Canadian

teacher, sits in the cell at a

criminal court while waiting

for his trial in Bangkok,

Thailand, Monday, June 2,

2008. (AP / Apichart

Weerawong)

Christopher Neil, from Maple Ridge, B.C., is facing charges including sexually abusing a minor, videotaping the alleged abuse, taking a child without parental consent, and holding him against his will.

"Neil arrived at the Bangkok courthouse chained in shackles with several other inmates," CTV's Steve Chao reported Monday from Bangkok, Thailand. "In court, he heard, for the first time, the direct charges against him."

Neil pleaded not guilty to all of the official charges against him.

Neil, 33, was arrested last October following a worldwide Interpol manhunt after the international police agency unscrambled a digitally altered photo showing a Western man with Asian boys.

The man in that photo is alleged to be Neil.

Prosecutors will be relying on the testimony of one Thai boy and about 70 photographs.

The boy was nine when the alleged incident occurred in 2003.

"(Neil) now faces a maximum of 35 years in prison, not the 20 years as previously reported," said Chao.

The court adjourned Neil's trial Monday after lawyers agreed to the delay.

"We understand that the prosecution at that time will bring forward some witnesses, including the boy who claims he was sexually assaulted," said Chao.

He said the adjournment was mainly granted to allow the defence more time to build its case.

"This is a court appointed lawyer who so far, although being appointed months ago, has yet to meet with Christopher Neil," said Chao.

Matthew Neil said Monday that his brother is staying positive ahead of his criminal trial.

"He remains optimistic, he's in good spirits, he's a bit more resigned now as time passes," Matthew Neil told CTV's Canada AM.

Neil's boyfriend

Meanwhile, Neil's Thai boyfriend says it's "impossible" he could have abused anyone.

Ohm, who only goes by one name and first met Neil three years ago, says the Canadian never gave him the impression he was a pedophile as Thai police have alleged.

"I think it's impossible," he told CTV's Steve Chao in the Thai city of Pattaya. "I didn't know him before, but when I knew him, he looked like a normal guy."

Ohm, 26, is one of Neil's staunchest defenders and has regularly visited him in jail.

"I told him I will wait for him," he said.

If Neil is acquitted in Thailand, he could face more charges in nearby Vietnam and Cambodia.

Additionally, the alleged victim's father has launched a civil lawsuit against Neil.

Neil, who spent years in Asia teaching English, has also pleaded not guilty in the civil suit.

With a report by CTV's Steve Chao in Bangkok

Source: http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/home/cont...showbyline=True

[Maestro]

Video of CTV News with David Butt, former crown prosecutor about the Christopher Neil trial:

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/Redirect/?ClipId=56786

[Jai Dee]

Christopher Paul Neil to be sentenced Aug. 15

BANGKOK - A Canadian at the centre of an international hunt for a pedophile whose obscured face appeared in hundreds of pornographic images posted online will be sentenced Aug. 15 for the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy from Thailand.

A Bangkok court announced the sentencing date Monday for Christopher Neil, 33, a schoolteacher from Maple Ridge, B.C.

He pleaded guilty May 12 to sexually abusing the Thai teen and faces up to 10 years in prison.

Neil pleaded not guilty in early June to similar charges involving the teen's brother, who was nine at the time of the alleged offence. The trial in that case begins Oct. 7.

Neil's brother, Matthew Neil, said from his B.C. home that the family did not know about the guilty plea except through media reports.

He said he has not spoken to his brother but does receive letters passed on to the family through the Canadian consulate in Thailand.

Matthew Neil said he cannot know for sure but feels his brother is getting fair treatment by Thai justice officials.

He said he doesn't his brother his under pressure to plead guilty from any of the letters he's received.

"For now, I'm under the impression that what he's doing is of his own free will."

Neil was arrested in Thailand on Oct. 19, 2007.

The international police agency Interpol launched an investigation after some 200 photos were posted online showing a man sexually abusing at least a dozen Vietnamese and Cambodian boys, some as young as six.

The face of the perpetrator was digitally obscured by a swirling shape, but for the first time German police computer experts were able to help Interpol unscramble the image.

After Interpol issued a public appeal to help identify the man, more than 350 tips poured in. Neil was arrested 11 days later.

The nine-year-old boy contacted police after seeing Neil on television following his arrest.

Neil at times appeared agitated at Monday's court proceedings but later joked with his translator.

He refused to comment to a reporter when he was led out of the courtroom dressed in his prison uniform and wearing ankle chains.

The victim in this case, who is now 18, and his father have testified that the youngster went to Neil's apartment in Bangkok where the crime was committed. Photos that allegedly showed Neil engaging in sexual acts and playing with naked or partially clothed young boys were also presented.

Neil admitted through his translator that he took the photos but said he did not post the pictures online.

In the case involving the nine-year-old boy, Neil faces up to 20 years in prison on charges that include sexually abusing a minor, videotaping the alleged abuse, taking a child without parental consent, and holding him against his will.

The child claims Neil paid him between $15 and $30 to perform oral sex in 2003, while he was living in Thailand.

Matthew Neil said his brother's arrest has been difficult for the family. He said they will decide once the sentencing is complete whether they will go to see him in a Thai prison.

"In a way, I'm glad that he's taken responsibility for his actions in that particular case," he said.

Source: CNNews - 30 June 2008