SAMUT PRAKAN: A 26-year-old man who later admitted to being high on drugs has been arrested for masturbating in public, assaulting a 30-year-old woman and stealing her bag in broad daylight at Kheha BTS skytrain station on Tuesday.
Suthat Chuayrot, a resident of Samut Prakan’s Muang district, was arrested by police a few hours after the attack on a station walkway about 9.38am on Tuesday.
According to police, he admitted to masturbating on the walkway while waiting, approaching and molesting the woman as she arrived at the top of the escalator, trying to force himself on her, hitting her in the face repeatedly, then stealing her handbag and fleeing as another person arrived up the stairway.
The attack was recorded by a security camera, Pol Col Nopphadon Changruean, chief of Samut Prakan’s Muang police station, said. This evidence was shown to the court, which issued an arrest warrant.
He was later arrested at his home in tambon Thai Ban, not far from the crime scene.
The man had two previous counts of theft against him and was discharged from prison in February, Pol Col Nopphadon said.
The suspect allegedly admitted having taken several tablets of Flunitrazepam, drinking kratom juice and smoking cannabis prior to committing the crime. Flunitrazepam, also known as Rohypnol, is used medically to treat severe insomnia and is known as a date-rape drug. (continues below)
The woman victim arrives at the top of the escalator, where the man on the right approached and attacked her, at Kheha BTS station in Samut Prakan. (Capture from video on social media)
He was heavily intoxicated by all these drugs when he rode his motorcycle to the BTS station, and claimed to have little recollection of the events, Pol Col Nopphadon said.
Mr Suthat was charged on multiple counts, including molestation using force, public indecency, physical assault and theft.
He was found in possession of the victim’s mobile phone and 1,050 baht in cash, which were in the stolen handbag, Pol Col Nopphadon said.
The victim, a beauty consultant at a department store whose name was withheld, said she cried out in vain for help as she tried to resist her assailant, but no one came to her rescue even though a security checkpoint and a ticket counter were just a few metres away.
After hitting her repeatedly in the face with his fist, the attacker had pulled out a knife and threatened to kill her if she continued to fight him, she said. Fortunately, another person had arrived at the top of the escalator, which scared her attacker away.
“I used to believe a BTS station is a safe place,” she said. “What would happen if this occurred at night?”