Father of Thai teen allegedly killed and stuffed in a suitcase by Aussie slams comments accused killer made about his daughter from behind bars

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 01:41, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 01:47, 25 August 2026 The grieving father of a 17-year-old Thai teenager allegedly murdered by an Australian truck driver has slammed his claims he was acting in self-defence. Simon Peter Carman, 45, from Perth's southern suburbs, broke his silence from behind bars to protest his innocence over the death of Tunchanok Donhomla. Also known as Cake, the teen's naked body was found dumped inside a black suitcase near railway tracks on the outskirts of Pattaya on June 27, two days after she was last seen alive on CCTV with Carman in the foyer of his condo complex. Carman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport just minutes before he tried to board a Jetstar flight to Perth. In an ABC interview set to air on Foreign Correspondent on Tuesday night, Carman alleged the teen attacked him with a knife during an argument over money. He also expressed his remorse for Tunchanok's family, prompting an angry response from the teenager's father.  'I don’t want to hear his apology,' Thongchai Donhomla told Seven News. 'If he is truly a man, then if he has done something, he should have the courage to accept responsibility for it.' Tunchanok Donhomla (pictured with her father Thongchai and her stepmother Oradee) was allegedly murdered by an Australian truck driver in Thailand Simon Peter Carman, 45, has broken his silence from behind bars to protest his innocence over the death of Tunchanok The teen's naked body was found inside a black suitcase dumped near railway tracks outside Pattaya on June 27 - two days after she was last seen He vowed to fight for justice and hopes to confront his daughter's alleged killer at his first court appearance, where Carman hopes to be released on bail. 'I want to oppose his release on bail,' Mr Donhomla said. 'I had only one child. We placed all our hopes in our child and now they are gone. 'I don't ask for much. I just hope my child gets the justice she deserves.' Carman alleged that he repeatedly asked the teen to 'put down the knife' during a physical struggle before she eventually 'went limp'. 'I feel deeply sad. I obviously wish that it did not happen, but it was unavoidable,' Carman told the ABC from Pattaya Remand Prison. 'All I was trying to do is restrain her from stabbing me. 'Even when I had her pinned down, she still had a lot of force, trying to stab me.' Carman expressed his remorse for the teen's family, prompting an angry response from Tunchanok's father Thongchai Donhomla Carman alleged that Tunchanok Donhomla (pictured) died while trying to stop her from stabbing him Carman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport just minutes before boarding a Jetstar flight to Perth  He said he had no idea at the time that Tunchanok was a minor, claiming that she followed him back to his accommodation. 'I honestly do not know why she followed me home,' he added. Carman vowed to fight the charges, which included murder, concealing and moving a body, and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for sexual purposes. 'I am hoping and praying that I can get released, if not on bail, because I have done nothing wrong,' he said. 'I have not done anything wrong. I shouldn't be here… I do not understand what's going on.' He also revealed that he still does not yet have a lawyer and that the only visitors he has received while behind bars were representatives from the Australian embassy. As police prepare to wrap up their investigation, an autopsy revealed that Tunchanok 'had a brain injury and she suffocated'. 'She had no other injuries,' Colonel Anek Srathongyoo from Pattaya City Police said. Simon Peter Carman has denied killing 17-year-old Thai teen Tunchanok Donhomla 'We also collected Simon (Carman's) DNA and matched it to DNA found on Cake's.' Prosecutors now have until September 18 to indict Carman. Nine days before her death, Tunchanok travelled from her home in Thailand's north about 600km to the bustling city of Pattaya. She wanted a holiday to 'see the beach' and visit friends, promising her family to return soon. Tunchanok had given friends Carman's address after the pair met up on Jomtien Beach in the early hours of June 25. A concerned friend then reported the teen missing the next day to police and later confronted Carman at his condo when she vanished. By then, Carman had already allegedly suffocated Tunchanok and dumped her body in the suitcase a short scooter ride away. A murder conviction in Thailand can result in the death penalty or a jail sentence of 15 to 20 years. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.