Seedy details emerge about Aussie accused of murdering a Thai teenager - and the regular visitors he would welcome to his filthy condo

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and JONICA BRAY, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 00:36, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 00:56, 2 July 2026 An Australian accused of strangling a Thai teenager to death before putting her body in a suitcase regularly had sex workers visiting his condo, sources have revealed.  Simon Peter Carman, 45, from Perth's southern suburbs, remains in custody charged with murder after the body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla was found inside a black suitcase near railway tracks outside Pattaya on Friday, June 26. Police allege the British-born truck driver placed the teen's body into the suitcase before dumping it in long grass a day earlier. Carman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport just minutes before he tried to board a Jetstar flight to Perth. Sources who knew Carman claimed that he was respectful towards Thai sex workers and only asked them to 'clean his room' occasionally. Others at the Rimhad condominium in Jomtien, where Carman has lived for the last eight months, claimed that young women visited his flat at least once a month. 'She (Tunchanok) was the youngest, but they were all young,' one source told the Daily Telegraph. Another added: 'Sometimes he just asked them to clean his room and for a massage and he would pay 2,000 baht (AU$86).'  Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, (pictured) was allegedly murdered by Australian truck driver Simon Peter Carman Simon Peter Carman, 45, was arrested by police on Friday, June 26. He has since been charged with murder Sources claim that sex workers regularly visited Carman at his unit. Pictured is the complex where Carman lived for the last eight months On Tuesday night, Ms Donhomla's family and friends gathered for her funeral at an open-air temple in Kalasin, about 200km from her hometown of Nong Khai and about 700km from Pattaya. They held a vigil instead after her body did not arrive in time because of the ongoing murder investigation. She has since been cremated and laid to rest by her family. Ms Donhomla's wake is expected to span several days, featuring nightly chanting led by local monks. Her great aunt Mee Boonsert, who helped raise the teen, has recalled their last moments together before Ms Donhomla travelled to Pattaya to visit friends. 'Before she went, she told me she is going and she will be back soon,' she told the ABC. 'I am just like a mother to her, she called me Mum. I love her more than I love myself.' Another aunt, Mirantee Thanachai, added: 'I don't want people to view her negatively. Tunchanok Donhomla's loved ones held a vigil on Tuesday night (pictured) hours before her cremation and funeral An unidentified friend confronted Simon Peter Carman at his unit after reporting Ms Donhomla's disappearance to police  Empty alcohol bottles could seen as Ms Donhomla's friend confronted Carman about the teen's whereabouts 'Whether she went for work or sightseeing, she was not trying to put herself in harm's way,' she said. Police revealed on Wednesday they were still awaiting the autopsy report but the teenager had suffered facial injuries consistent with a violent assault, including swelling, bruising and blood around her mouth and nose. Investigators will also probe whether there is any connection between Ms Donhomla's death and two other murders in February and September last year where women's bodies were also dumped in suitcases.   Police are searching through Carman's internet history to see if he was aware of the bodies found separately 30 minutes from his apartment. 'We will try to see if there are links but I haven't assumed the person who did this case must have done the previous ones; that's not necessarily true,' Pattaya police chief Colonel Anek Srathongyoo said. It comes after photos emerged of a friend of Ms Donhomla confronting Carman inside his dingy flat the day after she went missing.  The teen had given friends Carman's address after the pair met up on Jomtien Beach early last Thursday. Dressed in a black singlet top, photos show Carman being confronted by the woman inside the untidy unit, where piles of clothing were strewn everywhere.  Ms Donhomla's body was found inside a black suitcase dumped near railway tracks outside Pattaya on June 26 - two days after she was last seen Tunchanok Donhomla (pictured) was known as 'Cake' to her friends  Tunchanok Donhomla arrived in Pattaya (pictured at night) for a holiday just nine days before she was allegedly strangled to death The top of the fridge was littered with cleaning products and empty alcohol bottles. Friends in Australia have since claimed that Carman 'lived like a pig'. Ms Donhomla's grieving friends are struggling to comprehend the teen's death and why anyone would hurt her. 'She is a well-behaved, friendly person but also timid,' one friend told the Daily Telegraph. Carman has been charged with murder, concealing and moving a body, and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for sexual purposes. He denies the allegations and claims he acted in self-defence, alleging that Ms Donhomla attacked him with a knife during an argument over money. A date has not yet been set for his first court appearance. A murder conviction in Thailand can result in the death penalty or a jail sentence of 15 to 20 years.  CCTV footage captured Ms Donhomla with Carman shortly before her death Friends in Australia later claimed that Carman 'lived like a pig'. Pictured is his unit on June 26 If convicted, Carman will likely be transferred to the maximum-security Bang Kwang Central Prison, known as the 'Bangkok Hilton'. The notorious jail is also dubbed by locals as 'The Big Tiger' because it 'eats men alive'. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.