Women seek arrest of US dating app voyeur

Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, right, speaks of the case at the Police Club on Monday. Ms Pavena Hongsakula, founder of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, centre, and the complainant were also present. (Police photo)
Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, right, speaks of the case at the Police Club on Monday. Ms Pavena Hongsakula, founder of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, centre, and the complainant were also present. (Police photo)

One of three women who claim they fell victim to a violent voyeur they met online asked police on Monday to arrest him.

She was with Pavena Hongsakul, founder of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women.

The man, according to Ms Pavena, is a 33-year-old American and alleged former military serviceman. He told each victim he wanted to start a family with them in the United States.

After the victims fell for his lies and began a relationship with him, he secretly taped their sexual encounters. One woman who ended up marrying him said she was assaulted and blackmailed after filing for a divorce.

All three alleged that the man was a member of a secret group that exchanged and traded explicit videos and images. The victims remained silent initially out of fear he might share clips of them online.

According to the victims, the man had previously been married to a woman from the Philippines and a Chinese-American woman and was violent. They said he used dating apps to meet and chat with women.

Ms Pavena said she believes there are more victims who are scared of coming forward and encouraged them to contact the Pavena Foundation to seek help.

Police said the man has entered and exited Thailand multiple times on a tourist visa. A search warrant and a warrant for his arrest are being processed, and the RTP has coordinated with the Immigration Bureau to stop him leaving the country.

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Vocabulary

  • arrest: (of the police) taking someone to a police station because they are believed to have committed a crime - การจับกุม
  • assaulted: attacked by someone violently - ถูกทำร้ายร่างกาย
  • blackmail (verb): to force somebody to give you money or do something for you by threatening them, for example by saying you will tell people a secret about them - ขู่เข็ญเอาเงิน
  • divorce: a legal way of ending a marriage - การหย่า
  • encounter (noun): a meeting, especially one that is sudden, unexpected or violent - การเผชิญหน้า
  • explicit (adj): describing or representing sexual activity in a detailed and graphic way -
  • fall for: to allow yourself to be tricked - หลงเชื่อ
  • foundation: an organisation that provides money for things such as medical research or for a charity - มูลนิธิ
  • military (noun): soldiers; the armed forces - ทหาร, กองกำลัง, กองทัพ
  • victim: someone who has been affected by a bad situation, such as a disaster, illness or an accident - เหยื่อผู้เคราะห์ร้าย
  • violent: involving or caused by physical force that is intended to hurt or kill somebody - รุนแรง, ร้ายแรง, สาหัส
  • voyeur (n): a person who gets sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity -
  • warrant (noun): a legal document that is signed by a judge and gives the police authority to do something - หมาย
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