Thai woman escapes attempted rape by biting suspect’s finger
A Thai woman survived an attempted rape at her home in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima in the early hours of yesterday by biting the suspect’s ring finger.
Police arrested suspect, a 29 year old former conscript, identified as Thawatchai, after he allegedly attempted to rape the 19 year old victim at 2am, yesterday, December 16, in her home. Thawatchai confessed to taking three tablets of methamphetamine, commonly known as Yaba, before committing the crime.
Thawatchai revealed that he lived in the same community as the victim and developed a crush on her. He was previously married and had one child with his ex-wife, who divorced him after he completed two years of military conscription and became addicted to Yaba.
Thawatchai admitted to closely monitoring the victim and learned that she was alone that night. He broke into her house at around 2am by removing the shutter from her bedroom window. The victim was in a deep sleep, which allowed Thawatchai to remove all her clothing. He was about to assault her when she woke up.
Initially, the woman screamed for help but quickly changed her approach. She persuaded him to take a shower and wear a condom, which he believed and complied with. During this time, the victim seized the opportunity to contact a neighbour and the police before fleeing the room.
Thawatchai reportedly managed to catch the woman and tried to drag her back to the bedroom. He covered her mouth and began strangling her but she bit his ring finger, causing him to lose a nail. Officers from Nongsarai Police Station arrived at the scene shortly after and arrested him.
Thawatchai stated that he wished to apologise to the victim and claimed he would never attempt another sexual assault.
The suspect faces two charges including:
- Section 365 of the Criminal Law: breaking into another person’s property at night and committing a disruptive act. The penalty is imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both.
- Section 278 of the Criminal Law for sexually assaulting a person aged over 15 through threats or violence. This offence carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.
