Thai police head to the UK to interview the alleged Koh Tao rape victim

The British Embassy in Thailand has given approval to a request by Thai police to visit the UK and question a woman who claims she was drugged, raped and robbed on Koh Tao in June. This was revealed by deputy tourist police chief Surachate Hakparn.

“The police team investigating the rape claim will be heading to the UK soon,” he said.

Thai PBS reports that police want to hear the claim directly and make the investigation as clear as possible. Surachete says that if the rape claim can be proven to be groundless legal action will definitely be pursued against the woman making the claim (how legal action against a UK citizen, in the UK, can be pursued by Thai police whilst in the UK was not made immediately apparent).

The Thai police have yet to receive a report on the questioning of the British woman which the British police had previously promised to send to them, he said.

Thai police have been investigating the rape claim by the 19 year old British woman said to occur on Koh Tao on June 25.

The British tourist reported to police in June that she was robbed on the island. But upon her return to Britain, she told police there that she had also been raped.

Media have reported that the woman said she was turned away by Thai police when she tried to report the rape. Police denied this and say their investigation determined her complaint of rape was groundless.

British media however reported that she was drugged, robbed and raped on Koh Tao on June 25 and alleged local police would not record her complaint of sexual assault.

Thai police said she never filed a complaint about being raped but complained only that her belongings went missing. Investigators questioned her claim that she was drugged at a bar and then carried further along the beach, where she was raped. They said evidence suggested it was unlikely because the tide was high along that stretch of beach at the time.

The Thaiger has previously published the tide times on the night of the alleged rape where it shows a high tide around 9pm with a low tide at 1pm on the same day and 7am the following morning. Without knowing the exact time of the alleged incident – it has not been reported – it is impossible to find support for the police’s claim.

Deputy tourist police chief Surachate Hakparn delivers a report of the initial investigation by police to the British Embassy in Bangkok.