KOH SAMUI — A Thai man suspected of raping a Ukrainian woman on Koh Samui was arrested on July 14. He claimed he did not force or threaten the woman in any way.
On July 13, a 32-year-old Ukrainian woman filed a complaint with the Bo Phut Police Station, stating that she was raped by a Thai man on July 8 around 9:00 a.m. at Thong Son Beach.
Subsequently, Police Colonel Den Duang Thongsrisuk, superintendent of Bo Phut Police Station, ordered the investigation team and the crime suppression unit of Bo Phut Police Station, along with Koh Samui Tourist Police, to investigate and find the perpetrator. A suspect was identified from CCTV footage, and the victim confirmed his identity.
Later, police found the suspect in front of a convenience store in Moo 5, Bo Phut sub-district, with the motorcycle he rode on the day of the incident. They identified themselves as police officers and presented an arrest warrant from the Koh Samui Provincial Court dated July 14.
The suspect, named Nattapong, 27 years old, from Khlong Wan sub-district, Mueang district, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, agreed to take the police to his room to seize the clothes he wore on the day of the incident. He was then taken to Bo Phut Police Station for questioning.
Nattapong admitted to being the perpetrator and acting alone, but claimed that the victim consented and that he did not force or threaten her in any way.
The police investigation team charged Nattapong with “raping another person by means of threats, using force while the other person is in a state unable to resist, or by causing the other person to mistake him for someone else.” He was handed over to the inquiry officer at Bo Phut Police Station for legal proceedings.
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