An Australian man appeared in court for the first time Friday on charges of murder and concealment of a body in connection with the death of a teenage girl in an eastern tourist city in Thailand, police said.
Simon Peter Carman was arrested in June after the 17-year-old girl was reported missing in Pattaya City, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of Bangkok, and a suitcase containing her body was found shortly after.
Carman was indicted by prosecutors Thursday on the charges, according to Pattaya City Police. He has also been charged with two counts of indecent acts on a minor.
The city's police chief, Anek Srathongyoo, told The Associated Press that Carman made an appearance at the Pattaya Provincial Court to give a statement in response to the indictment. He said they are awaiting the court’s decision on whether to take the case to trial.
Carman, who denied all charges, is being detained at the Pattaya Remand Prison.
A conviction on the charge of premeditated murder carries a possible death penalty.
Police said the girl was last seen on security footage walking into a condominium with Carman. He was later seen leaving the building alone with a large suitcase, and security footage showed him loading the suitcase onto a motorbike and riding into a deserted area along the railway.
Carman was arrested at a Bangkok airport before boarding a flight to Australia. Police said subsequent questioning led them to the suitcase with the girl’s body.
Carman, in a police interrogation video shared online by Thai media, has said he was acting in self-defense because the girl was threatening him with a knife.
