Bangkok taxi driver confesses to raping intoxicated passenger
A Thai taxi driver confessed to raping a female passenger, who was intoxicated and unable to defend herself, at a love hotel in Bangkok on Tuesday, February 3, saying “I don’t know what an evil spirit possessed me that night”.
The victim, a university student studying in Bangkok, filed a formal complaint with police after waking up naked inside a love hotel. According to her statement, she had gone out drinking at an entertainment venue in the Ratchayothin area before taking a taxi at around 3am to meet a friend in the Ekkamai area.
She told officers that she lost consciousness during the journey and later regained awareness at around 7am inside the hotel room. Believing she was sexually assaulted, she immediately sought medical attention at a hospital to obtain a medical certificate before reporting the case to police.
Investigators later identified the suspect as a 51 year old taxi driver named Sangwan. He was arrested in the Ratchadaphisek sub-district of Din Daeng district.
Footage of the police reenactment, later aired by Channel 7, showed the suspect admitting that he had transported the woman to her destination but claimed she did not exit the vehicle upon arrival. He said he asked her where she wanted to go next, but she did not respond verbally and only shook her head.
The driver admitted that he then took the unconscious woman to a hotel. When questioned directly about whether he had raped the victim, he refused to give a clear answer and stated, “I don’t know what an evil spirit possessed me that night.”
Police charged the suspect under Section 276 of the Criminal Law: committing rape by using violence or taking advantage of another person’s inability to resist. The offence carries a penalty of between four and 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine ranging from 80,000 to 400,000 baht.
The arrest follows another serious rape case reported in Chon Buri province on February 1. In that incident, a Thai motorist sought police assistance after encountering a naked woman who had fled from an abandoned house to seek help.
The woman later told police she was assaulted after a suspect forced her off her motorcycle and dragged her into an abandoned building. The rapist remains at large, and police have yet to release further details regarding the investigation.
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