British tourist, 30, arrested over rape of girl, 6, while visiting Thai girlfriend in Thailand's 'Sin City' resort Pattaya
A British tourist has been arrested over the alleged rape of a six-year-old girl in Thailand while visiting his Thai girlfriend.
The 30-year-old from Leeds was identified by sleuths at the National Crime Agency (NCA) in London over an alleged video of the schoolgirl being abused. Officers worked with local police and tracked the Brit down.
They found him in the "Sin City" resort of Pattaya where he was living with a Thai girlfriend. The Brit was formally arrested over the alleged rape of the young girl, who he is said to have known through a friend.
Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) issued a media release confirming that the suspect had been identified by the NCA in England over the sexual abuse of the child. Officers said the investigation was launched when the NCA claimed to have traced child abuse content to the man's phone.
.jpeg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65)
Cops in the UK then liaised with officers in Bangkok at the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division. Thai police said they analysed the footage of the alleged rape and compared it with different locations in Pattaya and social media posts to find the Brit.
They claim to have identified the victim as a seven-year-old girl who was abused when she was six. They believe the arrested man had connections to the mother of the alleged victim.
Armed police stormed into his rented home at the Private Paradise Pattaya condominium block on Tuesday morning (3 December). He was then formally arrested, handcuffed and passed to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division for further legal action.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Kiatkong Thongkham of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division said: "The suspect denied all charges and refused to testify during the arrest. He was detained at the police station."