Bangkok Post – Man charged with serial rape of his stepdaughter

Girl aged 6 to 12 abused, now in nursing home after doctor rescues her from ‘hell’

A man accused of raping his stepdaughter since she was six years old has been arrested in Bangkok. The crimes only came to light when the victim, now 12, told a hospital doctor about them because her mother did not believe her.

Officers arrested the man, identified only as Amnuay, 60, outside the Ton-or apartment building in Phetkasem Soi 84 in Bang Khae district on Saturday, said Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thumsuthee, chief investigator of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB).

Mr Amnuay, from Wang Chao district in Tak, was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Thon Buri Criminal Court on 17 May for the rape of a girl under the age of 13.

Pol Maj Gen Theeradet said the victim had been abused for more than six years. The abuse began in 2017, when the girl was six years old and living with her mother and stepfather in Tak.

According to police, the suspect sexually abused the girl while her mother was out and threatened to kill the mother if she exposed the crimes.

The abuse continued after the family moved to Bangkok. The girl finally decided to tell her mother, but was distressed because her mother did not believe her. Worse still, police said, the mother sided with her husband.

In May last year, she fell ill with hemorrhagic fever and was hospitalized. A kind doctor looked into her case in detail and she decided to tell the doctor about her repeated sexual abuse.

When the doctor learned of her plight, he immediately contacted social workers. A thorough health examination confirmed the abuse. The doctor said that if the girl was sent back to her family, she could end up in a “hell-like” situation.

The doctor contacted child protection and social welfare authorities to take the girl to a child and family welfare home in Bangkok, said Police Major General Theeradet.

After the girl’s older brother learned what had happened to his sister, he took her to file a complaint against her stepfather at the Lak Song police station.

Pol Major General Theeradet ordered an MPB investigation team to track down the suspect. They eventually found that he was staying with the victim’s mother in Bang Khae district and arrested him.

During questioning, Mr Amnuay denied all allegations and said the girl made up the story to blame him.

He claimed that the girl could not speak clearly because she was autistic. Her teacher often complained that she did not pay attention while studying, he said.

Major General Theeradet said police were not convinced by the suspect’s testimony, adding that investigators had collected enough evidence to obtain court approval for the arrest.

The suspect was handed over to Lak Song Police Station for legal action.