A Thai man has been apprehended for taking videos of women using a public restroom in Nonthaburi, and one of the victims says she is not satisfied with the way police handled the offence.
Police were alerted to the incident at a restaurant on Chaiyapruek Road in Pak Kret district on Friday night. Upon arrival, they found a man identified only as Amnat being restrained by restaurant staff.
Pantharee, who was one of the victims and a customer of the restaurant, told investigators that she was dining with six friends when they took turns using the restroom. She later noticed a man using his smartphone to record through a gap in a stall wall of the restroom. She shouted for help, and the restaurant owner and staff managed to restrain him.
After the suspect was taken into custody at the Chaiyapruek station, police examined his phone and discovered videos of five different women recorded in the restroom on the same night.
The victims were concerned that Mr Amnat might have shared the clips via the Line messaging app before the phone was confiscated. The police intended to delete the clips, but the victims decided to make the suspect destroy his own phone to ensure the videos were not leaked. The suspect agreed to destroy and discard it.
Ms Pantharee said she was furious when police told her and other victims to settle with the suspect and to find themselves a lawyer if they want to take further legal action.
“Perhaps the police will take serious action when someone is raped or abused,” said the woman. “The suspect was fined only 1,200 baht, and with this punishment, I fear he might reoffend soon.”
