A British teacher has been arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a teenage student 10 years ago in Thailand.
The suspect, 38, identified by police under the pseudonym ‘Tyler’, reportedly took a female foreign student, 16, to his house in Phuket to ‘commit indecent acts’ on two occasions in 2014 and 2015.
The schoolgirl reported the alleged molestation to her parents, who claim they decided to wait until she left the school and graduated before lodging a report with the police.
Upon learning of the alleged sex crime, the school immediately terminated Tyler’s contract and police launched an investigation to gather evidence for a warrant.
However, the British man is said to have moved to the northern province of Chiang Mai, evading arrest.
That is until police, acting on a warrant from the Phuket Provincial Court, tracked down and arrested Tyler on January 31 at his Thai wife’s home in Chiang Mai, where he has been since 2016.
The suspect, 38, (pictured at the time of arrest), reportedly took a female foreign student, 16, twice to his house in Phuket to ‘commit indecent acts’ in 2014 and 2015
Upon learning of the alleged sex crime , the school immediately terminated Tyler’s contract and police launched an investigation to gather evidence for a warrant
A Thai immigration police graphic shows details of ‘Tyler’ fleeing and being arrested
The Immigration Bureau said Tyler had entered Thailand in 2014 and found a job at a private school on Phuket island.
The alleged assault was reported to have happened at his Phuket residence on December 9, 2014 and again on April 2, 2015.
A spokesman said: ‘The Immigration Bureau arrested Mr. Tyler, 38-years-old of British nationality, for taking a minor to commit an indecent act.
‘An arrest warrant was issued against him in Phuket for taking away a minor who is over fifteen years of age but not more than eighteen years of age, away from father, mother, guardian or caretaker without justification for indecency.’
Officers did not say what evidence there was against the suspect.
The parents claimed they were waiting for their daughter to graduate from university before making the police complaint so that the case did not affect her studies.
The British teacher was detained at the Chalong Police Station in Phuket and charged with ‘taking away a child aged over 15 but under 18 from their guardians to commit indecent acts.’
He is facing up to five years in prison if he confesses or a panel of judges finds him guilty.
David Brown, 49, from Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, has been arrested over the alleged sexual abuse of girls aged between seven and eight at a top private school in Bangkok
Brown is seen in pictures and video from the Thanyaburi Provincial Police Station
It comes after another British teacher, David Brown, 49, from Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, was arrested over the alleged sexual abuse of girls at a top private school in Bangkok.
He reportedly lured the children into the office pretending to give them extra English lessons, before performing sex acts on the minors.
A shocked teacher at the £6,600-a-year school only discovered the alleged abuse when she claimed to have overheard girls in the classroom talking about what Brown had done to them.
Brown was detained on January 24 at 6am at home in front of his horrified wife.
He collapsed and was taken to hospital before being discharged and questioned at the police station at 1pm.
Police are now investigating how long the alleged abuse was going on and how many other children were attacked.
He had worked at the school since at least September 2017.
Speaking today, Police Colenal Jirawat Piampinseth confirmed the accusations, and the name and identity of Brown, who he said was in a cell a few yards away.
The policeman, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘The suspect has been living in Thailand for seven or eight years. He started working at the school in 2017.
‘Parents of four children have filed complaints claiming that Brown took the children to his office to teach them English and then sexually abused them.
‘He was arrested the next morning at 6am at his home and he fainted, so he was taken to the Pathumvet Hospital. He arrived at the police station at 1pm.
‘David’s wife acted as an interpreter… He has been detained in a cell at the station while the investigation continues.’
Brown is pictured while working at the school which charges parents up to 300,000 Thai baht (£6,600) a year in fees
The Siam International School in Pathum Thani, on the outskirts of the Thai capital of Bangkok
Brown is understood to have a young daughter with his Thai wife, Toey Srisangar, who accompanied him to the police station.
Brown is seen in pictures and video from the Thanyaburi Provincial Police Station wearing a blue t-shirt, green hat, and a white face mask.
The alleged abuse is said to have been uncovered by a teacher at the school, which charges parents up to 300,000 Thai baht (£6,600) a year in fees.
The school headmistress said that when the conversation was overheard, the pupils were immediately questioned.
Police were informed and told the school that the parents must file complaints against the teacher. Brown was later arrested when the parents of four girls made complaints.
If charged and convicted, Brown faces up to 10 years in prison.
An FCDO spokesperson said: ‘We are in contact with the Thai authorities regarding the arrest of a British man in Thailand.’
