British boy murdered in Thai drug deal gone wrong

A BRITISH teenager found dead in Thailand was murdered after a drug deal went wrong, the suspect involved in the case has said.

Woramet Ben Taota, a 16-year-old dual national, was found dead on May 7 in Lampang province in northern Thailand after going for a ride on a scooter. He was discovered in a forest with injuries that had apparently been caused by a blunt instrument.

Chaiwat Boonkarin, was suspected of the crime and yesterday the 44-year-old confessed to murder, Thai media reported. He told police he arranged to meet the teenager to complete a drug deal, but an argument ensued because Chaiwat thought he had stolen something and was lying to him.

Chaiwat said that he became angry and hit the boy with a piece of wood until he died, according to reports.

CCTV footage has revealed the teenager’s final movements. The footage, recorded the day before his body was found, captured him riding a blue scooter with a girl police say he was romantically involved with. Suraphltchaya Khamsa, 16, was riding pillion with him at 4.25pm local time as they visited her grandfather. They dropped off another girl, who was also seen on the bike, then rode away together at 7.18pm.

Woramet’s other girlfriend in the case, Yam, has been found safe and well after being reported missing. However, detectives are searching for another girlfriend, Suraphltchaya (known to friends as Ping Pong), who may have been the last person to see him alive.

His British grandmother, Lilian Graham, told Mailonline that he “was with a girl and they went to the forest to meet a man. We are all devastated. Ben’s father Steve is going to Thailand tonight.”