German teacher escapes attempted rape by Grab rider in Isaan

A German teacher was “lucky” to escape an attempted rape by a Grab rider and sought help at a tea shop on Suppasit Road in Ubon Ratchathani’s Isaan province around 7.30pm on Friday, August 23.

Officers from Mueang Ubon Ratchathani Police Station received a report of the attempted rape by staff at the Cha Chok Dee (“lucky tea”) shop. Officers rushed to the scene with officials from the Ubon Ratchathani Provincial Rescue Foundation.

According to the police report, the German woman was in a state of shock and uncontrollably crying after the attempted rape assault. She recounted that she had visited a shopping mall and booked a trip back to her accommodation at the school where she worked via the Grab application at about 7pm.

The Grab rider, later identified as 39 year old Thitipong, picked her up at the mall, but instead of taking her to her destination, he turned his motorcycle into a quiet roadside forest and attempted to rape her.

The German victim said she fought back, prompting Thitipong to punch her in the face. Fortunately, she managed to escape from Thitipong and ran to seek help at the tea shop.

Police reviewed a security camera and managed to identify the suspect on the day of the incident. Officers then monitored Thitipong’s home in the Kham Yai sub-district until 1am the next day, August 24, when Thitipong arrived home.

Drugs found

Thitipong attempted to escape the police on his motorcycle but failed. He was taken to the police station for questioning.

Thitipong blamed the German victim, claiming she seduced him by rubbing her breasts against his back. He thought she wanted to have sex with him, so he took her to the roadside forest. Thitipong said the German woman did not display any signs of refusal, so he parked the motorcycle.

However, the German woman poked his eyes, which made him angry, and he punched her in the face twice before she ran away from the scene.

Thitipong claimed that he did not try to rape the German passenger and did not dare to do so because he could easily be caught due to his information on the app. He also insisted that he did not steal anything from the foreigner, even though her phone went missing.

Police conducted a drug test on Thitipong and found methamphetamine, also known as yaba, in his system. Thitipong’s actions led to four charges, including:

• Section 295 of the Criminal Law: physically assaulting another person. The penalty is imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.
• Section 310 of the Criminal Law: detaining a person leading to death or severe injury. The penalty is imprisonment for three to 15 years.
• Section 340 of the Criminal Law: committing theft using a vehicle to aid the crime. The penalty is imprisonment for five to ten years and a fine of 100,000 to 200,000 baht.
• Section 43 of the Land Traffic Act: using drugs while driving. The penalty is imprisonment for three to 10 years, a fine of 60,000 to 200,000 baht, and driving licence withdrawal.