Australian arrested in Thailand after teen's body found in suitcase

Thai police arrested an Australian man at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport early Saturday in connection with the killing of a teenage girl in Pattaya, about 150 km east of the capital.

The suspect, Simon Peter Carman, 40s, faces charges of murder, concealment of a body, moving or destroying a body, and taking a minor for sexual purposes.

Police reviewed CCTV footage showing Carman entering a condominium with the girl, then leaving alone hours later carrying a suitcase. He loaded the suitcase onto a motorcycle and rode to a grassy area near a railway line, police said in a Facebook post. Officers later issued an arrest warrant and detained Carman at the airport as he prepared to board a flight back to Australia.

At a police station investigation room, Carman addressed the victim's family before being transferred to the Pattaya Provincial Court.

"I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control," he said.

The victim's father, Thongchai Donhomla, 46, said he was struggling to accept the loss.

"I am deeply saddened. My daughter had no mother, so whenever she wanted anything, she would find a way herself, and she always helped me too," he said.

Her stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, said she wanted the suspect to face the harshest punishment.

"I told the police I want him executed. As a (step)mother, I don't know what else to say ... I just want him to face the full consequences," she said.

Police have not said when Carman will first appear in court.