Father of teen found dead in suitcase issues defiant message to daughters accused killer
The heartbroken father of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase has issued a defiant message to her accused murderer.Australian man Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested just moments before boarding a flight to Perth last week, where he was hit with a raft of charges, including murder, concealing and moving a body, and abducting a minor for indecent purposes.Police allege the Ballarat-born man folded Tunchanok Donhomla’s body into a 29-inch suitcase and dumped it in long grass beside the railway tracks, approximately 2.6 miles from where he was staying.Carman denies these charges and claims he acted in self-defence following an alleged dispute between the pair over 500 baht ($23).The family of Donhomla has repeatedly called for her alleged killer to be subject to the full force of the law.In Thailand, a murder conviction can result in either life imprisonment or the death penalty via lethal injection.Donhomla’s father, Thongchai, said the family would not be pursuing or accepting compensation from Carman if he were found guilty.The Thai legal system takes mitigating factors into account when sentencing an offender, meaning people facing charges are able to pay victims or their families as a show of remorse.In some cases, the restitution can significantly reduce jail time.However, Donhomla has quashed any chance of reduced time for the accused, saying he would be letting the “legal system take its course.”“Even though I am poor, I will not trade my daughter’s dignity for money,” Donhomla told the ABC.“I love my daughter so much.”News.com.au previously revealed that Carman could be looking at legal fees upwards of $130,000 or several million baht.If he is unable to pay these fees, he will be given a court-appointed lawyer, which sources say could be “detrimental” to his case.“Under Thai law, intentional killing is very serious,” said Luca Bernardinetti, Chairman and Managing Partner of Mahnakorn Partners Group...