New details have emerged about Simon Carman’s life in Thailand before he was charged over the alleged murder of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, known as “Cake”. The Perth man has been held in a Pattaya remand prison for nearly three months.
In the months before the alleged killing, the 45-year-old appeared to establish a regular routine in the resort city, including weekly Sunday roasts with a friend at The Welcome Inn, a Thai British pub.
Videos posted on Facebook show Carman eating lamb with vegetables and a Yorkshire pudding. His final meal at the venue was recorded three weeks before Tunchanok’s alleged murder on June 25.
In one video, Carman’s friend jokingly referred to their repeated visits to the pub.
“Here we go again . . . what was it, three weeks,” the friend said. “You got upset last week.”
Carman, wearing a West Coast Eagles guernsey, replied: “No I wasn’t upset.” He was wearing the same guernsey when he was detained by police.
Simon Carman denies murdering Thai teenager
Carman, who previously lived with his family in Albany and in Casuarina, has pleaded guilty to concealing Tunchanok’s body but denies murdering her.
He claims Tunchanok followed him home after they met in Pattaya and says he did not know she was underage. Carman alleges he gave her 500 baht, equivalent to $21, before she demanded more money and threatened him with a knife.
He denies strangling the teenager, saying he squeezed her jaw during a struggle.
Carman was initially charged with intentional murder, concealing a corpse, moving or destroying a corpse and abducting a minor for indecent purposes. He first denied all four charges before changing his plea on the concealment charge after a judge cited CCTV footage allegedly showing him carrying a suitcase from his accommodation.
Police allege he later secured the suitcase to a moped and rode away. Tunchanok’s body was subsequently found near railway tracks.
An autopsy found the teenager had suffered a brain injury and died from suffocation, according to Pattaya City Police. Authorities said she had no other injuries.
Police also collected Carman’s DNA and matched it with DNA found on Tunchanok’s body, Colonel Anek Srathongyoo said. Carman was detained in June while attempting to leave Thailand on a flight to Perth.
