Woman accuses Kamphaeng Phet headman of sexual abuse

A 21 year old woman has come forward to accuse a village headman in Kamphaeng Phet province of sexually assaulting her over a year, resulting in a sexually transmitted disease (STD). She claims the assailant threatened to kill her if she revealed the abuse.

The victim, identified as A, reported the incidents to the police with the assistance of Prakakrit Saithip, the administrator of the Facebook page กำแพงเพชร ร้องเรียนอะไร บอกไว้ที่นี่. This took place yesterday, October 22, when they approached Police Lieutenant Colonel Saman Upatham, an investigator at Khlong Lan Police Station.

The victim alleges the abuse began in July 2023, when she was 19 years old, and continued until February of this year. She eventually fled to Bangkok to live with her mother.

A shared that she moved back to live with her uncle, who was the village headman at the time, in July 2023. During this period, his deputy, identified as Sutti, allegedly began the assaults.

According to the victim, the initial incident occurred when the suspect asked her to drive him to a local shop to purchase alcohol. On the way, he inappropriately touched her, which left her in shock as she was not wearing a bra. Following this, he took her to a secluded roadside area and raped her, threatening to kill her if she told anyone about the incident.

The victim recounted that the assaults continued, often coinciding with her visits to her uncle’s house. The suspect frequently chose times when she was menstruating to commit the assaults. This persistent abuse led to her contracting gonorrhoea. After her uncle passed away, the suspect distanced himself from her. He is now the current village headman.

Sexual assault

Living with the trauma for over a year and fearing for her life due to continuous threats, A finally decided to escape to Bangkok to live with her 53 year old mother in April this year. There, she disclosed everything to her family. With their support, she sought help from the กำแพงเพชร ร้องเรียนอะไร บอกไว้ที่นี่ Facebook page and the media, leading to her filing a police report.

A expressed her desire for the relevant officials to take action against the suspect, fearing his local influence and the fact that his son is a police officer might hinder justice.

Prakakrit Saithip mentioned that two days ago, he received the complaint through his Facebook page. He assisted A in reporting the case to the police. He noted that the suspect, who was a deputy village headman at the time of the initial incident, continued to abuse and threaten the victim until she fled to live with her mother.

While providing information to the media, A appeared visibly terrified. Prakakrit highlighted the suspect’s disturbing pattern of coercing the victim into sexual acts during her menstrual period, which resulted in her contracting gonorrhoea. He emphasised the importance of the police investigating the case and ensuring justice for the victim, reported KhaoSod.

Police in Kamphaeng Phet province have been informed of the situation and are preparing to establish a committee to investigate the allegations further.