Russian commits suicide in Pattaya over sexual assault charge

A Russian man reportedly committed suicide by jumping from the 29th floor of a Pattaya condominium yesterday, June 3, allegedly due to stress over a sexual assault charge.

The 38 year old Russian man, Roman Vlasenko, was found lifeless outside the 35-storey condominium in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya at around noon yesterday. Vlasenko was wearing a dark blue T-shirt and black shorts. He had a large gash on his head, exposing his brain.

A security guard at the condominium reported the death to Mueang Pattaya Police Station. The guard told police that Vlasenko was a resident of the condo, living on the 21st floor.

According to the guard, he saw the Russian deceased walking near the garden on the 29th floor before his death, and the foreign man appeared to be drunk.

Police investigated Vlasenko’s room and found no suspicious circumstances or signs of a struggle. Officers then interviewed people who had been in contact with Vlasenko and found that he had called the owner of the flat earlier that day to ask for a delay in paying his rent. He told the owner that his credit card had been blocked.

Police reported that in April Vlasenko was charged with sexually assaulting a masseuse at a local massage parlour. He was arrested and charged, and the case was closed just days before his suicide.

Police suspected that Vlasenko was under stress and had decided to commit suicide. However, police would take Vlasenko’s body to Vachira Phuket Hospital for an autopsy to confirm the cause of death. Officers also planned to summon Vlasenko’s family members and relatives for questioning before closing the case.

Jumping from a condominium is not an unusual occurrence in Pattaya, it happens frequently enough that locals and expats have insensitively coined the term “joining the Pattaya Flying Club” to describe the act.

In a related incident, an American man fell to his death from the seventh-floor balcony of a Pattaya hotel today, June 4. Officers are now investigating the case to determine whether it was an accident or another suicide.

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.