The disturbing scratch marks on accused Thai teen killer's arm and neck appear damning - but the Aussie gave cops a wild excuse

By CANDACE SUTTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 04:12, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 04:13, 3 July 2026 When Thai detectives noticed apparent scratch marks on the alleged killer of the teenage girl found dead in a suitcase, Simon Carman's explanation stunned cops. Carman had several clearly visible light cuts, running in parallel, on his arm and neck when police swooped to stop him leaving the country on a flight back to Australia. While officers continued to hunt for the body of Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, detectives quizzed the former Perth truckie and odd-job man on camera about the marks. Handcuffed and staring blankly into the lens, the 45-year-old touched each side of his neck as the footage zoomed in on the scratches on the right side. The camera moved around to three red lines on Carman's left bicep which also resembled fingernail scratches.  Ms Donhomla's long, pointed nails can be seen in some of her social media photos. Her body was later found in a suitcase dumped in long grass by railway tracks. Rubbing his neck, Carman told police on the footage: 'This is a spider.'  He then glanced down at his left arm, and told police his condo unit in Pattaya, 150km south of Bangkok, was overrun with spiders which were 'always coming in'. When Thai detectives noticed apparent scratchmarks on the alleged killer of the teenage girl found dead in a suitcase, Simon Carman's explanation stunned cops Carman had several clearly visible light cuts, running in parallel, on his arm and neck when police swooped to stop him leaving the country on a flight back to Australia  Tunchanok Donhomla's long, pointed nails can be seen in some of her social media photos  Carman had been living in room 380, a small flat inside Rimhad Jomtien condominium in the tourist resort's Nong Prue area for about ten months. Like most tropical coastal areas, Pattaya is home to everyday household insects such as ants, mosquitoes, cockroaches and moths. Most local spiders are related to the Australian huntsman species, which are large but generally feed on other insects and rarely bite humans.  His spider explanation echoed another man accused of murder in 2012.  Gerard Baden-Clay, who was convicted of killing his wife Allison, had blamed caterpillar bites for scratch marks found on his body.  Carman appeared emotionless and unconcerned when explaining his injuries to detectives as he sat in custody last Friday night.  A couple of hours later, police and rescue workers found the black 29-inch suitcase containing Ms Donhomla's body in grassland behind the Pattaya Night Markets. Carman was allegedly caught on CCTV footage wheeling the suitcase through his apartment block foyer and loading it onto the back of his rented motorbike. Police and rescue workers found the black 29-inch suitcase containing Ms Donhomla's body in grassland behind the Pattaya Night Markets  Simon Carman claimed to police that Tunchanok Donhomla had died when he fought back, and he had placed her body in the bathroom throughout the following hot day  Rubbing his neck, Simon Carman said on the police footage: 'This is a spider' Police allege he told them he had acted in self defence after the 150cm-tall teenager attacked him in a dispute over AU$20. Pattaya Police Colonel Anek Srathongyoo said Carman told them the girl 'used a knife to threaten him' and that 'he squeezed her neck, causing her to lose consciousness'.  Carman claimed to police that she had died when he fought back, and that he had kept her body in the bathroom throughout the following hot day.  Facing the camera to send a message to Ms Donhomla's parents, Carman said: 'Sawasdee krab [hello], I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. 'It was out of my control. Um, I hope you...I know you'll be very sad, upset, same same me. It shouldn't happen and I hope you're okay.' Asked by a detective, 'Why you kill her?', Carman answered: 'Hey.'  Asked again, 'You kill her right?', he replied: 'No, no hurt.' Friends say Ms Donhomla had travelled from her hometown of Kalasin in north-east Thailand to Pattaya just 12 days before she died. She met Carman near Soi 6 in Pattaya's red light district in the early hours of June 25, an area usually packed with women and foreigners along the bar-lined strip. Carman had allegedly been caught on CCTV footage wheeling the suitcase through his apartment block foyer and loading it onto the back of a motorbike  One of Ms Donhomla's friends confronted Carman after the teen's disappearance and empty bottles of Casamigos Blanco Tequila and Hopscotch Distillers Dry Gin lined the top of his fridge Sometime after 2.30am, the Australian is seen on CCTV walking hand-in-hand with Ms Donhomla along a quieter stretch of Pattaya's Beach Road. They appeared on CCTV again at 3.34am, 8km away, walking through the tiled foyer of Carman's condo block in a more sedate residential area in south Pattaya. The basic apartments rent for as little as AU$300 a month and Carman's flat was described as 'so messy' by the teenager in a text to a friend soon after arriving.  Carman's room can be entered via a dingy hallway where electrical wires are strung overhead, and the transoms above the doors are lined with newspapers.  Inside, the unit is little more than a bedsit, only big enough to hold a double bed, a TV, a nightstand and a small plastic couch. In footage showing one of Ms Donhomla's friends confronting Carman after the teenager's disappearance, empty bottles are seen cluttered on top of the fridge, including Casamigos Blanco Tequila and Hopscotch Distillers Dry Gin.  He was arrested the following night trying to board a Jetstar flight to Perth.  Carman has been charged with murder, concealing a body, moving or destroying a body, and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for sexual purposes. He is being held in the hospital wing of Pattaya Remand Prison for protection from other inmates while police continue their investigations.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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