Thai sports icon Somrak Khamsing faces 10 years behind bars after a hotel rendezvous with a minor in Khon Kaen. Top cop, General Surachate Hakparn warns of strict liability, while tabloids dissect every scandalous detail. The Olympian’s fate hangs in the balance, with four serious charges looming over him.
A Thai Olympic Gold medalist and national sports star is facing up to 10 years in jail in what is shaping up to be a substantial criminal case against him. It follows a 17-year-old girl’s claims to police that she was sexually molested by him in a city hotel bedroom over the weekend. The expanding case against the 50-year-old star, a Palang Pracharat Party candidate in the May 14th General Election, is riveting the Thai public with top cop General Surachate Hakparn at Wednesday’s meeting with the victim and her mother warning that such crimes, involving under-age minors, are ones of strict liability where the onus is on the perpetrator not to let it happen.
It’s a sordid affair that has gripped Thailand in the last 72 hours. Thailand’s top-tier sporting hero, Olympic gold medalist Somrak Khamsing, faces a legal maelstrom with four serious criminal charges looming over him. If convicted, the 50-year-old could face 10 years in prison.
The charges stem from an incident involving a 17-year-old girl he allegedly took from a bar in Khon Kaen, Thailand’s fourth largest city in the northeastern Isan region, over the weekend. The shock claim has turned the celebrated athlete into a central figure in a seedy tale of illicit liaisons and legal hot water.
Famous boxer claims he broke off the intimate encounter when the girl told him she was only 17 years of age. This appears to be accepted by both parties
Somrak’s admission that he brought the girl to his hotel room added fuel to the scandal, though he contends he broke off the encounter when he learned of her age when things got intimate.
Both parties to the incident appear to accept this and it has been confirmed that no sexual intercourse took place between the middle-aged man and underage minor.
However, the 17-year-old claimed she was sexually molested by the Olympic medallist after becoming undressed.
However, the revelation throws Somrak into legal crosshairs, given that it is a criminal offence in Thailand to engage in sexual relations with a minor under 18 or to take them from the control of their family.
Tabloid media’s three-day feeding frenzy from first reports of the meeting at the Khon Kaen bar and the complaint filed by her family with local police
Tabloid news outlets have seized upon the salacious details of the case, with the last 72 hours seeing a media frenzy around the involvement of the girl’s boyfriend, who reportedly played a significant role in facilitating her encounter with the famous sports star.
The saga took a dramatic turn on Wednesday when top police officials including Deputy National Police Chief General Surachate Hakparn or ‘Big Joke’ met with the woman and her mother, introduced by a social media activist.
In a twist, the distressed mother revealed her regret over leaving her daughter unsupervised. However, a shocking revelation followed: Somrak had refused to negotiate with the family, a legal recourse available under Thai law.
General Surachate minced no words when addressing the media, emphasising that, regardless of the details that may emerge in the ongoing investigation, the sports star Somrak should never have brought a 17-year-old girl to his private quarters.
Mother pleaded with boxing star to negotiate with the family and admit his criminal actions towards her daughter to resolve matters, he failed to do so
The distraught mother, in a plea tinged with desperation, implored General Surachate to unleash the full rigours of the law on the Thai sportsman, who was a high-profile House of Representatives candidate for the Palang Pracharat Party in the May 14th General Election.
The political undertones of the scandal cannot be overlooked, as the Palang Pracharat Party is currently part of the Pheu Thai-led government. The potential fallout adds an extra layer of complexity to the already disturbing situation.
As night fell on Wednesday, reports emerged that Somrak would be slapped with four criminal charges, each carrying severe consequences that could result in a decade behind bars if a Thai court convicts him.
The charges include conspiring to take a minor under 15 but not yet 18 years of age away from their parents, conspiring to take a minor for obscene purposes, indecent acts with children under 18 using violent force and attempting to either commit rape or obscene acts with another person using violent force.
Hectic investigation opened by Khon Kaen Police to get to the bottom of the high-profile case making national headlines. Motorcycle driver also charged
The legal proceedings unfolded at the Muang Khon Kaen Police Station, where a team of investigators, led by Police Colonel Yosawat Kaew Sueb Thannit, detailed the charges against Somrak.
Adding a twist, the motorcycle driver who transported Somrak and the victim now also faces charges related to taking minors away from their parents and engaging in indecent acts with minors.
The investigating officer announced the impending issuance of a summons to Somrak, allowing him to appear voluntarily to acknowledge the charges. The accused’s appearance will be pivotal in determining whether he will be released or held in detention during the investigation phase.
Reports suggest that Somrak was preparing to travel to meet with the investigative officers at the Muang Khon Kaen Police Station. The police, even before officially summoning him, found Somrak expressing readiness to cooperate with the legal process and address the allegations directly and robustly.
Victim cross-examined thoroughly by prosecutors, experts and police before a decision came on Wednesday bringing sex charges against the top sportsman
Simultaneously, the 17-year-old victim, revealed by the police only as Ms A, underwent a gruelling interrogation lasting over four hours at the Khon Kaen Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. The session, featuring prosecutors, psychologists, and social workers, sought to unravel the harrowing details of her encounter with Mr Somrak.
Despite evident stress and tears, Ms A bravely recounted the ordeal, alleging that the sports star had taken advantage of her in a hotel room. Shockingly, she claimed she failed to resist due to fear instilled by Somrak’s stature as a famous boxer.
Afterwards, the investigating officer at Muang Khon Kaen Police Station swiftly moved to prepare charges against Somrak based on Ms A’s detailed statement.
The fact that it’s a minor leaves no way out
The charges, which include taking a minor over 15 but not yet 18 years of age away from their parents and committing an obscene act, leave the sportsman facing an uphill legal battle.
At length, Somrak, taking to social media, signalled his readiness to admit to the charges.
He appeared to accept a certain undercurrent of fear stemming from his identity as a boxer. At the same time, however, the mother of the 17-year-old, at her high-profile meeting in Bangkok, issued a fervent call for legal action against the boxer. She urged authorities to prosecute him to the fullest extent.
As the scandal unravels, Thailand is dealing with not only the disgrace of a sporting hero but also a broader question surrounding the accountability of public figures. Especially in a society where respect for those in authority or high-profile celebrities is high.
Khamsing won a Gold medal for the Kingdom at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. It was a breakthrough moment for Thai sports.
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Further reading:
Justice crusader alleges depraved female school teacher sexually abused 12-year-old in Bangkok
Thai Me too moment as top party leader to face sex charges as women come forward with reports
German who skipped bail on sexual assault of a minor charge in Pattaya named by top cop to the press
Big Joke probes Pattaya sex scandal with high stakes not only for ‘Sin City’ but Thailand itself
Fury as police track American and German who bought their way out of child sex abuse in Pattaya
