Father of British teenager murdered in Thailand confronts ‘cowardly’ killer
THE father of a British teenager killed in Thailand confronted his son’s murderer yesterday, shouting at him “look at me in the eye you b------”.
Steven Graham screamed in fury through the window of a police vehicle as Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, was taken back to the spot where he admitted killing Woramet Ben Taota, 16, in Lampang, northern Thailand.
The teenager, known to his family as Ben, was beaten to death after he went missing from his home in the city.
Ben, who was a dual British-thai national, was found dead in a grove in the Ban Than district last Sunday morning. Boongarin, who was only released from prison eight months ago, confessed to killing Ben over what he claimed was a drug deal gone wrong.
Police said that he had suffered severe blunt force trauma injuries to his face and head. Investigators arrested Boongarin, who was said to have been known to the victim “for a long time”.
According to local media, Mr Graham was taken to the scene of the killing on Tuesday, where he confronted Boongarin as he arrived in police custody.
As the vehicle pulled up and stopped, Mr Graham approached the rear window and shouted: “Look at me in the eye you b------. Take his mask off. I want to see his face. You’re a coward. You’re a coward. F------ look at me, you b------.”
Boongarin was then seen in handcuffs standing alongside police officers, pointing to a moped thought to belong to Ben, which was taken away. Wearing a bulletproof vest, he was paraded in handcuffs before being taken to the secluded spot in dense woodland where Ben was found battered to death.
Mr Graham told reporters at the scene: “I just want to throttle him. He’s evil. He’s pure evil, scum. I hope he rots in hell. What kind of coward kills a 16-year-old boy? He’s a coward.”
As the killer was led away, Mr Graham, who was comforted by Ben’s mother Ooy Taota, shouted: “Get in the car, you coward. Hope you rot in hell.”
Ms Taota added: “I cannot understand what happened. My son was a good boy, now he will never grow up. I hope the murderer dies in prison.”
During police questioning Boongarin, who has convictions for sex offences, made unfounded claims that Ben and Suraphltchaya Khamsa, were methamphetamine runners for him who had stolen his substances.
Maj Gen Mongkol Sampawapol, commander of Lampang provincial police, said: “The killer was angry because he believed that Ben kept drugs for himself and his girlfriends, so he hit the victim with a stick several times until he died. He is a criminal. He was in prison before. He will be charged with murder.”
Officers investigating the killing discovered that Ben’s phone and money were missing from his shoulder bag when he was found, suggesting that he had been robbed. His body was discovered by a rubbish collector working in the area. Police later came across other belongings, including a smartphone charger and the boy’s ID and bank cards.
Detectives believe he may have been killed elsewhere and dumped at the spot where he was found slumped against a tree. Ben’s girlfriend, Yam, also 16, who is thought to have been one of the last people to see him alive, was found safe and has been ruled out as a person of interest by police.