Australian man pleads not guilty to murdering teenage girl and hiding her body in suitcase as Thai court denies bail

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Simon Peter Carman, a 45-year-old Perth truck driver, denied all charges at Pattaya Provincial Court on Friday, claiming self-defence and insisting he did not know 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla's real age. His bail request was rejected due to flight risk, and the next hearing is set for 12 October. Carman was arrested in June at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport minutes before boarding a Jetstar flight to Perth.

CCTV captured Carman entering his Pattaya condo with Tunchanok in the early hours of 25 June, then leaving alone that evening with a large black suitcase.

He faces four charges — premeditated murder, concealing a body and two counts of indecent acts on a minor — and a conviction could carry the DEATH PENALTY.

Carman alleges Tunchanok pulled a knife on him during a dispute over money, but police found her naked body inside the suitcase, which had been left in a deserted area near railway tracks.