Perv Teacher Under Arrest !

[bambob]

American nabbed with 500 photos of naked Thai boys

Tue May 10, 2005 05:14 AM ET

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police have arrested a 56-year-old American teacher after 500 photographs of naked teenagers were allegedly found during a raid of his Bangkok apartment, police said on Tuesday.

Police said the man, who they named as Steven Erik Prowler, had lived in Thailand for six years and taught English at a government school in Bangkok.

"During the raid, we found two teenagers who said they just had oral sex with him," Colonel Surat Udomrat told Reuters. The two were aged 15 and 17, police said.

In the apartment police said they found 500 postcard-sized photos of naked male teenagers, mostly Thais aged between 11 and 17. They also found journals detailing his alleged sexual exploits.

Police said they planned to file charges of sexually abusing underaged youths against the man later this week.

"Although the maximum penalty is 10 years in jail for each count, he has repeated his crime with hundreds of victims and these crimes would add up," Lt. Colonel Dhamnoon Munkong said.

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok declined to comment on the case.

© Reuters 2005.

[Boon Mee]

Any y'all know this Steven Eric Prowler?

Perfect name for this sh1tbag...

[sriracha john]

Perhaps someone in the Teaching Forum knows. He has been here six years, so odds are good that someone does.

btw, 500 photos x 10 years each = 5,000 years in prison.

Edited May 10, 2005 by sriracha john

[pautai]

Perhaps someone in the Teaching Forum knows. He has been here six years, so odds are good that someone does.

btw, 500 photos x 10 years each = 5,000 years in prison.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

he's getting off too lightly

you have to wonder how many more of these "teachers" are hiding in the woodwork ?

[RDN]

Anybody else feel like puking?

[devildog683]

good riddance

[maerim]

500 photos x 10 years each = 5,000 years in prison.

If he has a good lawyer there is every chance the sentance could be reduced by 50%.

[Rumpole]

Disgusting. Yet so many of the people calling themselves "teachers" in Thailand are nothing whatever of the sort. As long as Thai schools at all levels persist in employing anything with a white face and a pulse (and outside Bangkok you can forget the pulse), simply because they are cheap, the easier it is for undesirables such as this to remain in the country by pretending to "teach".

Thailand is generally unappealing to the professional educator, and the Thai "education" system quickly manages to alienate the few that do venture there. Whilst I deplore the activities described in the article above, and sincerely hope that the perpetrator gets the justice he rightly deserves, the attitude of most Thai school owners and administrators does nothing at all to deter this type of character.

Edited May 10, 2005 by Rumpole

[devildog683]

500 photos x 10 years each = 5,000 years in prison.

If he has a good lawyer there is every chance the sentance could be reduced by 50%.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

so he could be out in 4505!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

500 photos x 10 years each = 5,000 years in prison.

If he has a good lawyer there is every chance the sentance could be reduced by 50%.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

so he could be out in 4505!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Even a bit less if he behaves while in the can

[Jai Dee]

Anybody else feel like puking?

Yep...

[thymode91]

In few years someone (Faculty of that School) should notice this crap! but again late is batter that nothing. At least he got court

[Jockstar]

Sick puppy. Cut off his knackers..

[The Gentleman Scamp]

Why is it that these people always ensure a healthy sentence by having plenty of evidence lying around?

Other criminals tend to be a lot more careful, but are we talking criminals here or do they veer more toward the mentally ill?

I am not an unfair man but this is not a sympathy vote, I am willing to unserstand that they are unable to restrain their life destroying urges if they are willing to understand the life destroying urges of their fellow inmates.

Edited May 11, 2005 by The Gentleman Scamp

[sriracha john]

Disgusting. Yet so many of the people calling themselves "teachers" in Thailand are nothing whatever of the sort.  As long as Thai schools at all levels persist in employing anything with a white face and a pulse (and outside Bangkok you can forget the pulse), simply because they are cheap, the easier it is for undesirables such as this to remain in the country by pretending to "teach".

Thailand is generally unappealing to the professional educator, and the Thai "education" system quickly manages to alienate the few that do venture there.  Whilst I deplore the activities described in the article above, and sincerely hope that the perpetrator gets the justice he rightly deserves, the attitude of most Thai school owners and administrators does nothing at all to deter this type of character.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

100% absolutely correct. It is so sad that Thailand is in such need for teachers that they forego looking into who will be entrusted with the children. They want to join the modern world with updating the level of English, but in their cheapest-possible attempt to do so, they allow this type of guy to do so.

One would think that the "you get what you pay for" adage should be understood by the powers that be by now as this type of scum is nothing new, but obviously they don't. Until they do, we can expect these type of stories to surface from time to time. The fact that he was able to do these acts over a six year period attests to the lack of proper concern on the part of the government.

[sriracha john]

Why is it that these people always ensure a healthy sentence by having plenty of evidence lying around?

Other criminals tend to be a lot more careful, but are we talking criminals here or do they veer more toward the mentally ill?

They certainly do tend to keep more incriminating evidence of their deeds than the typical criminal. It's part of their "kick" to relive their acts by viewing the photos they took at the time or re-read the journal entries they keep. Another element of the criminal world that also do this are serial killers, e.g. Jeffrey Dahmer (the cannibalistic serial killer) kept body parts in his freezer. Are these child-abusing pseudo-teachers mentally ill? No more so than Jeffrey Dahmer, who was found criminally guilty of homicide. What is the appropriate punishment for these sociopathic parasites? The same as Jeffrey Dahmer, who was sentenced to life in prison... and was then subsequently murdered in prison by another inmate.

[mijan24]

Hopefully they have an "evening up committee" in the jail when he is imprisoned.

Viewing him on the TV one can see why he is not employed upcountry - I dont believe he had a pulse.

A true moron of the worst kind he should be "Dddd" Denknackered,& then Deported.

[custard]

Bastard !

[Khutan]

I am sure his time in "The Big House" will be interesting.

[alaina]

Disgusting. Yet so many of the people calling themselves "teachers" in Thailand are nothing whatever of the sort.  As long as Thai schools at all levels persist in employing anything with a white face and a pulse (and outside Bangkok you can forget the pulse), simply because they are cheap, the easier it is for undesirables such as this to remain in the country by pretending to "teach".

Thailand is generally unappealing to the professional educator, and the Thai "education" system quickly manages to alienate the few that do venture there.  Whilst I deplore the activities described in the article above, and sincerely hope that the perpetrator gets the justice he rightly deserves, the attitude of most Thai school owners and administrators does nothing at all to deter this type of character.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

100% absolutely correct. It is so sad that Thailand is in such need for teachers that they forego looking into who will be entrusted with the children. They want to join the modern world with updating the level of English, but in their cheapest-possible attempt to do so, they allow this type of guy to do so.

One would think that the "you get what you pay for" adage should be understood by the powers that be by now as this type of scum is nothing new, but obviously they don't. Until they do, we can expect these type of stories to surface from time to time. The fact that he was able to do these acts over a six year period attests to the lack of proper concern on the part of the government.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A-men!

I've TOLD Thai employers how to do a criminal background check on US citizens and the ones I've dealt with have zero interest. Even in schools that have had a pedophile as a teacher before.

In some cases when a school has several farang teachers at least a couple are keeping an eye on the ones that seem a little "off". But then again when the administration has been advised by the farang teachers not to hire someone we get ignored as well.

Some schools may as well write, "Fillipinos not welcome, Perverts OK" in their job ads.

[Insight]

Shame the police didn't barge in to find him chained to a bed and kept alive for exactly one year...

[The Gentleman Scamp]

I've TOLD Thai employers how to do a criminal background check on US citizens and the ones I've dealt with have zero interest. Even in schools that have had a pedophile as a teacher before.

Sad but true.

Shocking but not surprising.

I know this is not our country and we don't have a say but MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE A SAY in certain areas where we do actualy know best.

[astral]

Here we go again, applying western standards to Thailand.

Appalling though it may be, in Thailand:

1. The possession of porn is not a crime, only if it is for sale.

2. The age of consent is 15, unless payment(ie prostitution) is involved.

The police arrest will have been a knee jerk reaction, and I doubt that any prosecution will will result.

[The_Moog]

Same tired tedious response from everyone !

How about some balance with stories about how 'rogue' Thai teachers operate.

Nevertheless, TV still head and shoulders above other 'news sources' in their coverage of this.

Elsewhere, virtual slander and rabble-rousing involving the most preposterous of inaccurate speculation.

[Tornado]

Any y'all know this Steven Eric Prowler?

Perfect name for this sh1tbag...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Where does he hail from?, I didnt read the post

[Tornado]

It seems many pedos have been caught here of late. I wonder how many havent been? Disturbing!

[Lawnmower]

He worked at Ramkhamhaeng University's demonstration school (whatever that is ?).

[Rumpole]

How about some balance with stories about how 'rogue' Thai teachers operate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is certainly true. I had a Thai friend who was abused by a Thai teacher when he was eleven years old, and it is fairly common knowledge that some Thai university professors demand sexual favours from their students in return for inflated grades. However, that is a Thai problem and should be dealt with by Thais, or not, as the case may be. Rogue farang are rather different in that their actions reflect badly upon the rest of us, and many Thais will tar every farang with the same brush. Not just lower-class Thais either. Sadly, as has already been said, school owners, administrators and even the Thai government show little to no interest in weeding out undesirables, and will continue to employ them (with or without pulse), as long as they are willing to work for subsistance-level wages.

I was reluctant to use the expression som num nah in my previous post, but I often feel that Thailand gets precisely the kind of "teachers" it deserves.

Edited May 11, 2005 by Rumpole

[Ijustwannateach]

I don't know if it's worth replying to this thread, but will confirm Astral's post: the porn, disgusting as it is if the models are REALLY as young as they say (and how did they know the ages? they were printed on the photos, perchance? or by "looking?") is just a smear, unless they can somehow demonstrate HE produced it from live models- possession is not illegal.

These initial news reports are often sensationalistic and, basically, false. Notice how "11" and "17" year olds show up both in the age of the photos AND in the ages of the boys "he had just slept with." Lack of creativity there, I think (or a signal for the astute reader to notice holes in the story). I'll buy a beer for all the kneejerk posters before this post on this thread IF this guy REALLY gets OFFICIALLY charged on the record with a sex crime against an 11-year-old.

I figure someone's got it in for him, reported him knowing he had porn, and now the police are on a fishing expedition. It happens so often that these investigations fall apart- why does anyone trust them now?

The less long-shot part of the story- that he might've slept with a 17 year old, which in Thailand is apparently legal- is more believable- sadly for the police, not prosecutable.

And as Moog points out, the Thais are much, much more abusive and suspect in this regard.

"Steven"

[klongmaster]

I'm with you on this one IJWT

Guess he didn't pay his rent...

But I do take umbridge with the earlier post which tarred all teachers with the same brush. (Can't get the 'quote' feature to work)

I saw a pic of an American soldier holding a prisoner by a leash... are you going to say that all american soldiers are like that??

I am also 56 and have been here 9 years..teaching

But i'm not screwing young lads

Despite the popular opinion here on TV, there are many 'normal' guys here teaching and doing a good job