Parents of teenage girl found stuffed into suitcase in Thailand speak out as they make nightmarish trip to collect her body – after Australian tourist was charged with murder when he tried to leave the country

The grieving parents of a teenage Thai girl allegedly killed and stuffed in a suitcase by an Australian truck driver say they will ‘never forgive’ her killer.

Simon Carman, 46, from south Perth, was arrested after the body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla (known as cake) was found by local police next to railway tracks in Pattaya, Thailand, late on Friday night.

Detectives allege the British-born shopkeeper folded her naked body into the 29-inch black bag and threw it onto tall grass before trying to flee the country for Perth.

He was accused of her murder.

The former trucker reportedly lived alone in an industrial estate in Rockingham before moving to Thailand eight months ago, where neighbors said he was taking medication for a back condition and had firearms before police confiscated them.

Police video showed Carman, who runs a mobile refueling service between Perth and regional Victoria and has a decade-long relationship with Thailand, saying he was “sad” as he addressed the girl’s family.

“I feel terrible about what happened to your daughter,” Carman said. ‘It was out of my control’

He allegedly told investigators that Ms. Donhomla had attacked him with a knife and that he had acted in self-defense.

CCTV allegedly shows Thai teenager and Australian tourist holding hands as they walked towards the elevator

Simon Peter Carman, 45, allegedly picked up 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla from a bar in Pattaya before returning to his hotel on Thursday.

However, when the girl’s parents went to Pattaya to collect their daughter’s body, they rejected the apology.

Thongchai Donhomla and Ordee Butrakhamare, 46, traveling from their home in Thailand’s north-eastern Kalasin province, told local media that Ms Donhomla had arrived in Pattaya just days before her death.

It was his first visit to the town famous for its wild nightlife, but his parents let him go with a friend because he had a helpful attitude and had no problems with drugs.

They said in tears that they wanted the alleged perpetrator to be tried and receive the harshest punishment under the law if he is guilty.

They said they were on their way to Pattaya when his friend reported him missing, and while they were still on the road, they learned that his body had been found.

Carman had met Miss Donhomla by the beach, known to many locals as the ‘Coconut Bar’, which had become a notorious hangout for prostitutes seeking clients under the palm trees late at night.

The couple was seen on security cameras walking from the beach and entering the hotel foyer at around 3.30am on Thursday morning.

Carman allegedly told authorities they agreed he would pay the teenager 1,000 baht (AU$43.45), but the pair argued when Carman offered only 500 baht (AU$21.72).

Ms Donhomla was found stuffed in a suitcase next to the railway line, just 10 minutes from Carman’s hotel.

Thongchai Donhomla and Ordee Butrakhamare, both 46 years old, set out from their home in Thailand’s northern Kalasin province, near the Laos border, to pick up their daughters.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ‘providing consular assistance to Australian detained in Thailand’ (pictured, Carman allegedly seen riding scooter on CCTV)

Miss Donhomla was found stuffed in a suitcase next to the railway line

After Ms. Donhomla’s friends reported her missing, police searched her accommodation and seized a motorcycle and took DNA and fingerprint samples but found no trace of Carman.

Later on Friday, Thai authorities issued an urgent alert through the Immigration Service system, while Pattaya investigators attempted to obtain an arrest warrant.

Police arrested him at Suvarnabhumi Airport, minutes before Jetstar flight JQ76 departed for Perth.

Officers found the bag containing Ms. Donhomla in the tall grass, with blood and visible injuries on her face and body.

In the suitcase next to him were the white Onitsuka sneakers he wore that night, jeans, underwear, mobile phone case, wallet, gold bracelet and necklace.

The tattoos on his back, arms, chest and left leg matched his photos on social media.

Pattaya detectives charged Carman with murder, hiding a corpse, transporting or destroying a corpse, and taking a child between the ages of 15 and 18 for sexual purposes.

When asked by the police officer whether he killed the girl, Carman answered “No”.

Carman was allegedly seen leaving the apartment with a black bag on Thursday evening.

Allegedly, the 17-year-old teenager, known as ‘Nong Cake’, was stuffed naked into a suitcase, and the bag was placed on the back of a wheeled motorcycle from his apartment and thrown from the vehicle to the side of the railway line.

He was asked about the scratches and bruises visible on his neck and arms.

In police records, Carman said the marks were caused by “spiders” that appeared “all the time” in the apartment where he stayed.

Miss Donhomla may be working under a false identity.

Thailand’s child protection laws prohibit sexual abuse of people under 18 years of age.

Carman remains in custody at Pattaya City Police Station and is subject to further interrogation as investigators continue to gather evidence.

A murder conviction in Thailand can result in life imprisonment or the death penalty.