A British man has been taken into custody in Thailand for allegedly assaulting a six-year-old girl, following an investigation led by UK authorities.
Luke Adam Lawrence, 30, hailing from Leeds in West Yorkshire, was pinpointed by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in London after they uncovered a disturbing video involving the abuse of a schoolgirl.
Collaborating with local law enforcement, officers tracked Lawrence to the coastal resort of Pattaya, where he was residing with a Thai girlfriend.
On the morning of December 3, armed police raided his rented apartment at the Private Paradise Pattaya condominium.
Video footage captured Lawrence exiting the bedroom without a shirt, followed closely by his partner dressed in light blue silk nightwear. A translator, wearing a blue denim jacket, was on hand to relay the charges to him.
Cops ordered Lawrence to kneel before he confirmed his name. He reacted by saying “what, woah, wow” as the charges were read out.
Reading from the court arrest warrant, the translator says: “According to the illegal conduct you have done, there has been a charge of r@pe, statutory r@pe, of another individual, by force, by threat, by applying threats and force, violent threats and violent force, to a person that was in a position that could not resist, or a person that could not fight back.
“Also, against a minor under the age of 13 years old, which is not your wife, not your legal wife.”
The translator went on: “Even if that child did or did not agree, this conduct has been done against a child, who has not reached the age of 13 years old, so even if the child did agree or not agree to that, the child was in a situation where they could not fight back or do anything about that.”
Lawrence was then formally arrested over the alleged r@pe of the youngster, who he is said to have known through a friend. He was frogmarched into a waiting police van.
Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) issued a media release confirming that the suspect had been identified by the NCA in England over the sexual abuse of the child.
Officers said the investigation was launched when the NCA claimed to have traced child abuse content to Lawrence’s phone.
A clip allegedly showed him r@ping a young Southeast Asian girl, which they believe happened in Thailand.
The cops in the UK then liaised with officers in Bangkok at the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division. The Thai police said they analysed the footage and compared it with different locations in Pattaya and social media posts to find Lawrence.
They claim to have identified the victim as a seven-year-old girl who was abused when she was six years old. They believe that Lawrence had connections to the mother of the alleged victim.
An arrest warrant was issued for “r@ping a minor under the age of 13” and Lawrence was caught at 7:15 am. He was handcuffed and passed to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division for further legal action.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Kiatkong Thongkham of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division said: “The suspect denied all charges and refused to testify during the arrest. He was detained at the police station.”
Investigating officers later informed the schoolgirl’s mother of the arrest. They allegedly presented evidence and she filed further complaints to be added to the charge sheet.
The CIB said in a statement about the case that local women should “beware” of foreign men who visit the country looking for a girlfriend.
Other Articles
