The impoverished father of a Thai teenager allegedly killed by an Australian truck driver has firmly rejected the idea of accepting compensation from her accused killer.
Thongchai Donhomla said the family wanted the ‘legal process to take its course’ as Simon Carman, 45, faces life imprisonment or the death penalty over the alleged murder of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla.
Carman is accused of hiding Ms Donhomla’s body in a suitcase and disposing of it in long grass near railway tracks, before police stopped him from trying to fly out of the country at Bangkok’s main international airport on June 26.
Daily Mail revealed Carman could potentially have walked free in as little as seven years, even if he was found guilty, if he managed to reach a compensation agreement with Ms Donhomla’s family.
Under Thai law, compensation does not prevent prosecution or guarantee a reduced sentence. However, judges can take a defendant’s guilty plea, genuine remorse and financial restitution paid to a victim’s family into account when determining an appropriate penalty.
Thongchai completely ruled out the possibility of striking any sort of compensation deal with Carman.
‘Even though I am poor, I will not trade my daughter’s dignity for money,’ he told the ABC.
‘I love my daughter so much.’
The poverty-stricken father of a Thai teenager allegedly killed by an Aussie truck driver (pictured, Simon Carman) has firmly rejected the idea of accepting compensation payment from her accused killer
Carman is accused of killing 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla (above)
Thongchai, who separated from Ms Donhomla’s mother when she was a baby, said his daughter was a ‘good kid’ who had an ‘unfortunate life’.
‘She was a child who loved her father very much, because she never had a mother since she was young,’ he said.
Thongchai said he spent time in jail when Ms Donhomla was young so she stayed with her extended family.
‘After I got out of prison, I tried to take better care of her and pay more attention to her,’ he said.
Ms Donhomla’s great-aunt Mee Boonsert said the 17-year-old was like a daughter to her.
‘I am just like a mother to her, she called me mum,’ she said.
‘She was an easy baby; she would drink any type of milk. We did not have much money to buy expensive formula milk.’
Prison chiefs have told Daily Mail Carman had been completely emotionless since his arrest and hadn’t shed a tear for himself or his alleged victim.
Thongchai Donhomla said the family wanted the ‘legal process to take its course’ as Simon Carman, 45, faces life imprisonment or the death penalty over the death of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla
The railway tracks near where Ms Donhomla’s body was found dumped in a suitcase
His family have not visited him since his arrest, and have made no arrangements to do so, and he has not even been visited by any local ex-pats or friends.
Carman was moved from the police station holding cells to the Pattaya Remand Prison hospital wing last week but is being kept away from the main jail population for safety reasons.
Pattaya Remand Centre follows a strict daily routine starting with a 5.30am wake-up.
Inmates then have around 30 minutes to wash and clean their cells before a basic breakfast, followed by an 8am assembly, which often includes the national anthem.
Pre-approved visitors are permitted Monday to Friday between 9am and 2pm, although time slots can be as short as 10 minutes.
Daily Mail can reveal that Carman, who will not be permitted visitors for the next ten days, has had no requests for visits from himself or his family.
Carman can be kept at Pattaya Remand Prison for a maximum of 84 days while detectives continue to build their case and gather evidence.
Police say that Carman is co-operating.
The truckie, from Perth’s southern suburbs, denies murdering Ms Donhomla and claims he acted in self-defence, with local police indicating investigations are ongoing.
