British Pedophile Arrested In Thailand For The 6th Time

[sriracha john]

Thai police say Briton accused of child sex abuse arrested a 4th time

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thai police have arrested an elderly British man in the resort town of Pattaya on charges of sexually abusing an eight-year-old boy.

Officials say it is at least the fourth time 77-year-old John Maurice Praill has been taken in on similar charges. Police Col. Khanisorn Yuwawithaya says Praill was arrested at his home in the seaside town while free on bail on a previous charge.

His lawyer, Nitiwat Pattanasarn, says Praill denies the allegations against him.

He says the arrest is his client's third, with charges dropped in one case and a trial under way for the other, in which he pleaded not guilty.

According to the Pattaya Mail newspaper, Praill was arrested in December 1997 for allegedly molesting a young boy, and was fined and released after denying the charge. It reported in March 2000 that he had been arrested on charges of sexually abusing two girls, ages 13 and 14.

Nitiwat said Praill remained in police custody pending further investigation, but that he would request that his client be released on bail.

Pattaya is known for its commercial sex trade catering to foreigners.

- The Canadian Press

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

Photos and articles of Praill's previous exploits are contained in the threads:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...=111840&hl=

Police Arrest Four Foreign Paedophile Suspects In Pattaya, From Britain, Finland and the USA

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...=170428&hl=

American Pedophile Sentenced To 16 Years In Thai Prison

[sbk]

A convicted paedophile known as the 'Ghost' who has been repeatedly released in Thailand on child rape charges was arrested again last night for the sixth time -- this time for abusing an eight-year-old boy.

Maurice Praill (77), from Harold Hill, Essex, the step-father of former Ireland international footballer Jon Goodman, was arrested after police investigators saw the boy being delivered to his rented home on a motorcycle sidecar.

Thai police were called in after a member of a child protection centre passed on complaints from the parents of the eight-year-old boy.

Praill, who was previously arrested for abusing young girls, now spent his retirement in Thailand for the purpose of sodomising young boys, said police commander Kanisorn Yuwawittaya, who led the latest investigation.

The police had been contacted by Supakorn Noja, of the Pattaya Child Protection Centre, said Commander Kanisorn.

"We formed a team and conducted surveillance. We witnessed the eight-year-old boy being delivered to his house. We arrested him when he was in the shower at his home."

In March last year, Praill walked out of a court in Bangkok on bail of just under £8,000 on charges of abusing two girls aged 9 and 11 in the resort.

He was already on bail after appealing against a 14-year jail sentence imposed in December 2001 for raping two under-aged girls in a house he rented in Pattaya.

He escaped jail after launching an appeal against conviction, but even after losing his appeal in July 2004 he escaped jail again by appealing to Thailand's Supreme Court.

In three other cases he was released after what local newspapers described as "fines" had been paid.

Sudarat Sudarat of Fight Against Child Exploitation (FACE), which has been monitoring his activities, described the Praill case as "scandalous".

"He should never have been given bail. Paedophiles are repeat offenders," she said.

- Irish Independent / 3-19-08

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia/...le-1321098.html

[Jai Dee]

Notorious Brit back in custody

A British man accused of repeated sex crimes against children was reportedly taken into custody in Pattaya yesterday following complaints by a child protection agency.

Maurice Praill, 77, was taken to Nong Plalai prison in Chon Buri after Sudarat Sereewat, a member of the National Child Protection Committee complained "on behalf of the children of Thailand", according to British reporter Andrew Drummond.

Praill, formerly from Essex, is due to appear in court on Monday on a charge of sexual abuse of an eight-year-old boy. The Englishman was convicted in 2001 and given a 14-year term for the rape of two under-aged girls, but is appealing his conviction to the Supreme Court.

Protest

Sudarat Sereewat, also secretary general of FACE (Fight Against Child Exploitation) protested to Pattaya police, according to Drummond's latest report.

"If we can't put this man behind bars to protect our children, who can we?" she is quoted as saying.

Local papers in Pattaya have reported that Praill was arrested on allegations of child abuse even before 2001 but was released after paying 'fines' at Pattaya police station.

Source: Daily Xpress - 03 April 2008