KOH PHANGAN — Police on Koh Phangan have arrested a 35-year-old French man accused of raping a 22-year-old American tourist after the Full Moon Party earlier this week, authorities said Sunday.
The Special Operations Unit of the Surat Thani Provincial Police Investigation Division raided a room on Koh Phangan and arrested the suspect, identified as Romain (family name withheld), following a warrant issued by the Koh Samui Provincial Court.
Tourist police said they received a report at 12:20 p.m. on December 6 from the American woman, who alleged she was sexually assaulted at a guesthouse in Haad Rin village on the island.
According to police, the woman and her friends had been staying on nearby Koh Samui and traveled to Koh Phangan on the night of December 5 to attend the Full Moon Party. Around 2 a.m., she became intoxicated and lost contact with her friends.
Police said Romain approached her, offered to help find her friends and later took her to a hostel, where he allegedly raped her. She regained consciousness during the assault and screamed for help, prompting the suspect to flee.
Tourist police brought the woman to Koh Phangan Police Station to file a formal complaint and later took her to Koh Samui Hospital for a medical examination.
An investigation by police and tourist police units led to the identification of the suspect. Officers sought and obtained an arrest warrant charging him with “rape by sexual intercourse with a person unable to resist.”
Police later arrested Romain and handed him over to investigators at Koh Phangan Police Station for further legal proceedings.
_________