A tourist is being investigated over the death of a Thai sex worker who was found dead in her hotel room, claiming he did not notice her decomposing corpse for four days.
Bearach Beataidh, 71, was reportedly seen kissing and holding hands with Duangta Khampongsom, 45, while taking her to her bedroom at a guesthouse in ‘Sin City’ Pattaya, eastern Thailand , on December 18. She was never seen alive again.
Bearach, from County Down, Northern Ireland, was caught on CCTV leaving the room looking nervous four days later on December 22.
The building’s caretaker, Prayoon Chinsai, 57, called police that same morning when he noticed a bad smell coming from the room.
When he knocked and no one answered, he used a spare key to open the door, only to find the woman’s half-naked body rotting on the bed.
Officers arrived at the building and found the tourist, who also holds an Irish passport issued in Ireland, in a nearby bar.
He said he was aware of the body but did not file a report with police because he claimed he “didn’t know she was dead.”
Police Captain Puttharak Sonkhamhan of the Pattaya City Police Station said officers are questioning Bearach further over his strange statements.
He said: ‘The woman had been dead for at least three days. His body had begun to decompose and swell, releasing a foul odor throughout the room.
Bearach, from County Down, Northern Ireland, was summoned by police for questioning.
Beataidh, 71, takes Duangta to her room on December 16.
Duangta’s body was taken to Bang Lamung Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Doctors have not clarified the cause of his death.
‘He was wearing only jean shorts and nothing on the top half. An inspection of the room found no signs of fighting or looting.
‘It would be difficult not to notice that she was dead as her body was already decomposing. There was also fluid and blood on the bed.
Police searched for the British pensioner and found him in a bar on Jomtien beach. He was said to have been dazed and confused when he was detained.
Bearach claimed that he had invited Duangta, a prostitute from a nearby bar, to stay in his room after she was allegedly assaulted by an unknown attacker on December 18.
CCTV footage obtained by police shows Duangta wearing a black shirt and a white cap walking with the tourist through the hotel corridor on the night of December 18.
Then, on December 22, Bearach was seen leaving the room alone. He was captured checking both sides of the hallway before going for a walk on the beach.
He allegedly said: “She kept vomiting and sleeping the whole time, but I didn’t think it was anything abnormal.” I understood that she felt weak and exhausted. We last spoke on December 19.
Bearach claimed he did not realize she had died “because there was no unusual smell” in the room. He denied having injured or killed the deceased.
Bar owner Kaew, 65, described the dead woman, Duangta, as an “alcoholic” and a “habitual heavy drinker.”
He claimed to have seen the tourist reject Duangta on the night of December 18.
Duangta’s former co-worker Pim, 46, also said she had a drinking problem.
CCTV footage obtained by police shows Duangta wearing a black shirt and a white cap walking with the tourist through the hotel corridor on the night of December 18.
Beataidh was caught on CCTV leaving the room looking nervous four days later on December 22.
She said: ‘Duangta had known the Brit for less than two weeks. I don’t think he killed her, but it seems strange to me that she died in her room.
Duangta’s body was taken to Bang Lamung Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Doctors have not clarified the cause of his death.
Police Captain Puttharak added: “We called the British man to the police station for further questioning.
‘Forensic police continue to collect fingerprints and DNA because we do not believe their testimony. All security cameras are being reviewed.
The former fishing village of Pattaya became popular with American troops on their “rest and relaxation” breaks in the 1960s, when the American military had bases in Thailand.
In the following years, the coastal town became a Mecca for sex tourism.
Embarrassed officials have made progress in cleaning up the region’s reputation with family tourism projects, but the nightlife industry has endured and continues to attract men from around the world.