74 year old nun begs for help after rape attempts by teenage novice
Police allegedly ignored a complaint from a 74 year old nun at a temple in the Isaan province of Udon Ratchathani, who was repeatedly subjected to rape attempts by a 19 year old novice.
The nun, Thawin, turned to news agencies for help after officers at Mueang Ubon Ratchathani Police Station failed to take action regarding her sexual assault complaint. Thawin reported that she had been harassed on four occasions, but police did nothing.
Thawin explained that the 19 year old novice, Narawith, came to her accommodation at night and attempted to sexually assault her. She managed to escape by screaming for help.
In the most recent incident, Narawith knocked on her room door at around 3pm and asked for instant noodles. When she opened the door, the novice allegedly covered her mouth and pushed her to the ground. She resisted and screamed for help until he fled the scene.
The nun said she had reported the matter to both the abbot and local police officers, but the case saw no progress. Police reportedly told her to wait until the Songkran festival ended because they were busy and claimed she lacked sufficient evidence.
After her story became public, police visited the temple to question Thawin. Narawith was also summoned to the police station for questioning.
Narawith admitted to wrongdoing. He confessed that, during his first visit, he showed the nun a pornographic video. He insisted that he had no intention of having sex with her and claimed he only wanted to prank her.
He stated that on the second and third occasions, he knocked on the nun’s door, but she did not respond. The fourth incident occurred as the nun described.
Thawin stated that she did not wish to pursue legal punishment against the novice, as she believed he was mentally ill. She only wanted him to leave the monkhood and return home for treatment.
Nevertheless, police charged Narawith under Section 391 of the Criminal Law: physical assault without causing bodily or mental harm. The maximum penalty for this offence is one month’s imprisonment, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
In this case, police fined Narawith 300 baht and ordered him to leave the monkhood. No prison sentence was imposed.
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