A police captain in the northeastern province of Yasothon has been charged with raping a schoolgirl he had arrested for riding a motorcycle to school without a helmet and licence.
The suspect, who was a deputy inspector at the Patiew district station, confessed to the crime, said Pol Col Sanit Chaiyasathit, deputy commander of Yasothon provincial police.
The name of the captain, who has been dismissed from the force, was not disclosed. In addition to rape, he is charged with separating a minor from her guardians.
The investigation into the case followed an online complaint from a woman that her daughter, a grade 11 student, was raped after she could not afford a fine following her arrest for the motorcycle infractions.
The complainant said the officer at first demanded a 2,000-baht fine from her daughter but as the girl had no money, she was raped instead.
According to Pol Col Sanit, the suspect was on traffic patrol when he stopped a 17-year-old schoolgirl on Arun Prasert Road at 10am on Monday. The girl was riding her motorcycle with a friend.
The deputy inspector took the girl to a deserted informal education office about 100 metres from the road and 150 metres from his police station and assaulted her.
The schoolgirl is still traumatised and her mother has had to continuously console her, Pol Col Sanit said.
He apologised for the incident and said the suspect would be detained at the Yasothon Provincial Court pending further legal action.
