NEVER FORGIVE..! – The heartbroken family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose b0dy was allegedly found concealed inside a suitcase has spoken through unimaginable grief, saying they will never forgive the Australian man accused in the case.
The heartbroken family of a 17-year-old Thai girl allegedly murdered and concealed inside a suitcase by an Australian man have declared they will “never forgive” the accused, demanding the maximum punishment the law allows, including the death penalty.
Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, was found dead in a large black suitcase discarded near railway tracks in Pattaya, Thailand, on the night of Friday, 27 June 2026.
Her body allegedly bore visible wounds to the face and signs of severe violence.
Simon Peter Carman, 46, an Australian national with links to Ballarat in Victoria and Perth, was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport shortly before he was due to depart the country.
He has since been charged with murder, concealment of a body, moving or destroying a body, and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for sexual purposes.
He has denied the charges.
Simon Carman, a 46-year-old man reportedly from Ballarat, was arrested in Thailand for the alleged murder of 17-year-old Thai girl Tunchanok Donhomla. Picture: Pattaya News
Simon Carman, a 46-year-old man reportedly from Ballarat, was arrested in Thailand for the alleged murder of 17-year-old Thai girl Tunchanok Donhomla. He allegedly killed her in his hotel room, stuffed her body in a suitcase, transported it on the back of a scooter, and dumped it a short distance away. Picture: Pattaya News
Who is Simon Carman?
Mr Carman was born in Ballarat before moving to Jerramungup, a small agricultural town about 450 kilometres southeast of Perth, according to The West Australian.
He briefly worked in the agricultural sector, where he operated as a sole trader under the name “Simon’s Agricultural Services.”
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He later moved to Albany with his family before settling down in Rockingham, where he reportedly worked as a mechanic.
The outlet also confirmed that the 45-year-old previously lived in Perth’s southern suburb of Casuarina for over five years.
For around a decade leading up to his departure for Thailand, Mr Carman had been living on and off in a unit inside an industrial estate in Rockingham, and lived off a disability pension and payments linked to injuries he suffered as a truck driver, according to The Australian.
Mr Carmen’s alleged unit sits among a number of welding and metal fabrication warehouses, and is just a stones throw from a busy four lane freeway.
Mr Carman reportedly ‘lived like a pig’ and recieved a disability pension. Picture: The Australian
According to one man who knew him, Mr Carman had a rod in his back, while another said he had a large gash to the back of his head that had required staples.
A back rod is typically used to treat severe spinal fractures or progressive spinal deformities by stabilising the spine so that vertebrae can fuse together.
The surgery can take between one and five hours, and recovery often takes upwards of 12 months.
Others that knew Mr Carman said he regularly took strong painkillers, describing him as a sad and lonely figure.
“He lived like a pig,” one neighbour told The Australian.
“He was on a lot of meds, so when you spoke to him he was always as dopey as f**k.”
During his time in the unit, padlocks on neighbouring units were regularly jammed with glue, and sugar was added to the fuel tank of another’s vehicle. Mr Carman was the primary suspect among the complex, but he denied any involvement.
Mr Carman was reportedly living in a warehouse unit among a number of welding and metal factories.
“He’d go weird every now and then and start abusing people and businesses in the area, that sort of stuff,” one man told the outlet.
“He’d just start abusing them over nothing, but it was never a physical thing.”
Another resident of the complex said he often drove Mr Carman to medical appointments at a nearby hospital. His wife and daughter, however, found him “creepy” and told him not to have any more contact with him.
Mr Carman had reportedly once shown him his collection of guns – a .22 calibre Hornet rifle and a shotgun – which he said were stored in a box along with ammunition, in a breach of gun storage laws.
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Australian tourist arrested over murder of Thai teen
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The suitcase was discovered discarded in long grass beside railway tracks in Pattaya, approximately 4.2 kilometres from Carman’s accommodation. Picture: Facebook
Police reportedly took Mr Carman’s guns off him around a year before he left for Thailand. His driver’s licence was reportedly also revoked around the same time.
“It was scary when he had guns,” one man told The Australian.
“He had lots of guns and all that, and I was a bit concerned in case he snapped. It was good the police took them off him.”
Previous neighbours of Mr Carman in Casuarina said they were “really shocked” to hear news of the 45-year-old’s arrest.
Resident Shelley said Mr Carman mostly kept to himself but was known to socialise with other neighbours, according to the West Australian.
Another neighbour described the allegations as “horrifying.”
“You’re not born a killer, you’re made a killer. So something flicked the switch in his brain to (allegedly) make him do that,” she said.
“A lot of times most of us just keep to ourselves . . . that’s really it.”
Timelime of events
CCTV footage captured Tunchanok and Mr Carman walking from the Pattaya beachfront, a well-known area frequented by sex workers, and entering the foyer of his accommodation together at approximately 3.30am on Thursday, June 26.
Several hours later, Mr Carman was allegedly seen on camera leaving the building alone with the large black suitcase, which he transported by motorbike.
Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, had only arrived in Pattaya days before her death. Her family described her as helpful with no history of drug use. Picture: Facebook
Tunchanok’s identity was confirmed through distinctive tattoos on her back, arms, chest and left leg, which matched images from her social media. Picture: Facebook
Police allege he folded the teenager’s naked body into the 29-inch suitcase and dumped it in long grass beside the railway tracks, approximately 4.2 kilometres from the property, before attempting to leave the country.
Officers arrested him at Suvarnabhumi Airport minutes before his Jetstar flight JQ76 to Perth was scheduled to depart.
Investigators located the suitcase with Tunchanok inside.
Along with her body, police found the white Onitsuka trainers she had been wearing that night, jeans, underwear, a mobile phone case, a wallet, and her gold bracelet and necklace.
Tattoos on her back, arms, chest and left leg were confirmed to match those in her social media images.
In police video footage, Mr Carman offered an apology to the girl’s family.
“I feel bad for what happened to your daughter,” he said. “It was out of my control.”
He also allegedly told investigators that Tunchanok had attacked him with a knife and that he had acted in self-defence.
CCTV footage captured Tunchanok and Carman entering his accommodation together at approximately 3.30am on Thursday, 26 June 2026. Picture: Pattaya News
Hours after entering the building with the teenager, Carman was allegedly captured on camera leaving alone, transporting a large black suitcase by motorbike. Picture: Pattaya News
When questioned about visible scratches and bruising on his neck and arms, Mr Carman claimed the marks were caused by “the spiders”, which he said were “always” appearing where he stayed.
The girl’s family rejected his apology outright.
Tunchanok’s parents travelled to Pattaya from their home in the northeastern Thai province of Kalasin to collect their daughter’s body.
The family told local media it had been her first visit to the coastal city.
She had only arrived in Pattaya days before her death, and her parents had allowed her to go with a friend, describing her as having a helpful nature and no history of drug use.
Her stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, was inconsolable.
“I am deeply saddened,” she said. “I told the police I want him executed. As a mother, I don’t know what else to say. I just want him executed.”
“I asked the police if I could hit him, if I could beat him,” she added.
“Please, just let me. The police told me not to, that he would face the full consequences regardless.”
The father of Tunchanok Donhomla, Thongchai Donholma (centre), and her stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum (left) in Pattaya. Picture: ABC
The family said they learned of Tunchanok’s death while still travelling to Pattaya after her friend reported her missing.
Mr Carman allegedly told authorities the pair had agreed he would pay Tunchanok 1,000 baht (approximately AU$43), but that an argument erupted when he offered only 500 baht (approximately AU$22).
Thai child protection laws strictly prohibit the sexual exploitation of anyone under 18.
A murder conviction in Thailand carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Thai child protection laws strictly prohibit the sexual exploitation of anyone under 18.
A murder conviction in Thailand carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
As of Monday, Mr Carman remained in the custody of Pattaya City Police and was awaiting a court appearance, with investigations continuing.
