Taxi driver arrested for attempted rape of son’s teenage girlfriend
A Thai taxi driver, arrested for attempting to rape his son’s 16 year old girlfriend, claimed that he committed the crime because he felt neglected by his son since he started dating the girl.
Mueang Phra Samut Chedi Police Station officers were alerted to a physical altercation in Soi Ruam Pattana in the central province of Samut Prakarn at 7pm on Friday, August 30, and rushed to investigate. Officers then discovered that the altercation stemmed from the attempted rape of a 16 year old victim called Bam.
Bam told police that she was a student at a high school in the Phra Padaeng neighbourhood of Samut Prakan and had a boyfriend who had left school and was working in Soi Pracha Uthit 90. They had been in a relationship for over a year, and she had met his father, 46 year old Suthat, who worked as a taxi driver, many times before.
Bam recounted that on the day of the incident, Suthat visited her at her home on Soi Suksawat 80 and invited her to get into his taxi, claiming he had something important to discuss. Once in the car, Suthat alleged that he had secretly filmed sexual activities between Bam and his son, using a hidden camera he had placed in his son’s bedroom.
Suthat then took Bam to his rented room on Soi Suksawat 100, where the alleged incident occurred. He demanded that Bam resolve the sex tape issue by having sex with him and if she refused he threatened to release the explicit footage online. Bam responded by telling him to go ahead if he wished, prompting Suthat to change his approach.
According to Bam, Suthat told her that he romantically loved her and suddenly hugged and kissed her. Suthat then attempted to have sex with Bam but she managed to escape from the room. Bam sought help from men who were gathered and drinking beer outside a nearby rented room.
Son’s negligence blamed
The men helped Bam and engaged in a physical altercation with Suthat. Suthat managed to escape from the scene but was later arrested yesterday, September 1.
Suthat stated that he had gone to Bam’s home to borrow a phone charger while drunk. He had consulted her about his son’s 26 year old ex-girlfriend and a plan to sue her for sexually assaulting a minor. He asked Bam to get into his taxi to talk about it and they drove to the rented room.
Suthat said he held Bam’s hand while talking and began to have sexual feelings for her. He asked whether Bam would have sex with him but she refused. He was about to take Bam home when she ran away to seek help from neighbours.
Suthat claimed that he had never actually possessed any explicit videos, despite what he had told Bam. He admitted that he fabricated the story because he felt neglected. He was seeking attention from his son, who had stopped interacting with him since he began dating his girlfriend.
Although Suthat’s statements seemed dubious, they did include a confession that he had attempted to rape Bam. Consequently, officers charged him with sexually assaulting an adult by threatening or using violence, under Section 278 of the Criminal Law. The penalty for this offence is up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.
Additionally, Suthat faced charges under Section 295 of the Criminal Law for assaulting another person, causing both physical and mental harm. The penalty for this charge is up to two years in prison, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.
In a bid to make amends, Suthat expressed a desire to apologise to his son. A video shared by ThaiRath depicted him bowing at his son’s feet and receiving a hug from him before being taken to prison.
