Thai sex pest blames mental health issue for sexually harassing underage schoolgirls

Police finally swooped to arrest a Thai sex pest who harassed a number of underage schoolgirls in Bangkok after an intense two-week search. On arrest, the deviant blamed mental health issues as the reason for his perverted behaviour.

In July, several schoolgirls in Bangkok fell victim to the Thai pervert, later identified as 35 year old Jirayut Phomhom. According to Channel 3, Jirayut targeted girls in school uniforms who were travelling to school in the morning.

When Jirayut met his target, he would approach them, pretend to get lost, and ask for directions from his teenage victims. He then got uncomfortably close to the girls and touched their genitals before fleeing the scene.

The police received complaints from several victims but believe there were more who have not filed a complaint. A number of the incidents occurred in Bangkok near Romaneenart Park, on Nakong Thai Road, at Wan Chart Intersection, and in front of Triam Udom Suksa School between July 6 to July 26.

Officers from several police stations in Bangkok spent over two weeks searching for the deviant and finally arrested him yesterday at his home in the central province of Nakhon Pathom.

Jirayut confessed to his behaviour but blamed it on mental health problems.

“I admit that I lust after schoolgirls when I am taking a public bus where there are many girls there. I did it because of my mental illness. I have not taken any treatment for a long time.”

Jirayut revealed that his house is in Nakhon Pathom but he travelled to Bangkok almost every day in the morning to sexually harass teenage girls

Jirayut faces charges of sexually harassing children under 15 years of age and sexually harassing children above 15 years old. He will face a penalty of at least 10 years in prison, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.