Australian man arrested for alleged child sex abuse in Thai border town

After being on the run for 6 months, an Australian man who allegedly sexually assaulted Burmese children in the Tak’s Mae Sot district near the Myanmar border was arrested.

A warrant had been issued for Adam James Fox back in December of last year after he failed to show up to court. Adam had been arrested in March of last year on charges of child sex abuse and was granted bail by the Court of Appeal. Adam is also facing deportation as his visa is expired.

Adam even admitted to skipping his trial in a video he posted on his YouTube channel where he talked about a piece of evidence that going to be used against him – a video of him with a boy masturbating in the background. Adam claimed he did not know what was going on behind him.

Adam made multiple attempts to argue his innocence through social media accounts, hashtags and even a website, all under “Mae Sot Aussie Truth,” with numerous posts insinuating that the child sex abuse charges were a setup. He also used his platforms to bash a Syndey Morning Herald reporter who wrote an investigative story on the case. Adam even posted an audio recording of himself and the reporter in an effort to diminish the credibility of the report.

Deputy superintendent of the Tak Immigration Office Suchart Penphu told CNA reporters that the court marshal had been following the case over the past 6 months. He says Adam was found residing at a new house in the border town on June 2. Police searched the home and confiscated methamphetamine and an Australian passport under the name “Guy Christopher Meymouth” as well as a number of mobile phones and computer devices.

When Adam was first arrested back in March of last year, 2 Burmese boys were at his home when police arrived and 5 other children were at an apartment he rented for them. Mae Sot police officer Teerawat Moopayak says Adam would financially support poor migrant children, providing them with food, accommodation and money for school.

“They didn’t think he had done anything wrong.”

SOURCE: CNA