Thai man arrested after murdering neighbour over sexual harassment dispute

Suspect sexually harasses victim's daughter leading to heated argument and murder

Police successfully arrested a man for murdering his neighbour following a dispute over alleged sexual harassment. The suspect evaded capture for more than a week in the southern province of Songkhla.

The suspect, 43 year old Suthep, fatally shot his neighbour, 45 year old Pongsak, at around 5.20pm on September 4 in Ban Hua Khao community, Singha Nakhon district, Songkhla. He fled the scene immediately after the shooting. Police initially decided not to pursue him, as he was known to always carry a firearm.

The dispute between the two men began after Suthep allegedly sexually harassed Pongsak’s daughter by touching her cheeks. A physical altercation followed, during which Pongsak pulled out a gun.

According to Matichon, Pongsak fired several shots at Suthep, but missed. Suthep then seized the weapon and fatally returned fire.

On September 5, police contacted Suthep’s relatives, urging them to persuade him to surrender, but he refused. Although his family disclosed his hiding place to the officers, he managed to escape by boat.

Thai man arrested after murdering neighbour over sexual harassment dispute | News by Thaiger
Photo via Facebook/ Borderpress Songkhla

Yesterday, September 10, police discovered that Suthep returned to his home near the crime scene. Officers raided the property, prompting him to climb onto the roof in a bid to flee.

After more than three hours of negotiation, police arrested Suthep and took him to the station. He was charged under Section 288 of the Criminal Law for intentional murder, which carries a maximum penalty of death, life imprisonment, or a prison sentence of 15 to 20 years.

Thai man arrested after murdering neighbour over sexual harassment dispute | News by Thaiger
Photo via Facebook/ Borderpress Songkhla

In a related case, a Thai father was horrified to discover that his close friend had raped his daughter while he and his wife were at work. The assault was uncovered after the couple installed a CCTV camera in their daughter’s bedroom. Fortunately, the parents immediately reported the matter to the police, leading to the suspect’s arrest.

In February, a Thai man was arrested in Chaiyaphum for fatally shooting his friend following repeated assaults on his daughter. The suspect claimed that the victim had attacked his daughter and had secretly met her at her school to assault her.

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Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.