CityNews – A woman who suffers with a mental disability was raped and left to die with critical injuries on November 16th in Mae Ai, Chiang Mai. A man has been arrested in connection with the attack.
On the evening of November 16, a woman was found naked, covered in blood with life threatening injuries on the roadside in Mae Ai. Her head was slashed open and her left hand was removed and two fingers on her right hand were missing. She was sent to Mai Ai hospital for emergency surgery.
Once in a stable condition, she was interviewed by police where she told them she was currently homeless and struggles with a mental disability. At 5pm on November 16 she was lured to a secluded area by the man who raped her and then tried to kill her with a knife. He cut off her hand and fingers and sliced her head but she did not die from her injuries and was able to crawl to the roadside for help.
Police investigated the crime scene, an abandoned room in Fang Vocational College, Tha Ton branch, and found evidence of an attack, the victims cloths, blood and the body parts which the attacker cut off.
After an investigation of the area, police identified a suspect who was in the area with a motorbike at the time of the crime. 23 year old Sithichoke Pimsarn was arrested on November 18. He confessed to the attack, saying that he saw the woman walking alone and lured her to the abandoned building to have sex with her. He claimed that the sex was consensual but violent, and she asked for money in return. He then said he tried to kill her and then stole her money, a total value of 40 baht, before fleeing the scene. He said he stole the money to go and buy drugs.
According to police, Sithichoke was recently released from prison after serving jail term for a drug related crime. Police are charging him with attempted murder but are expected to add a rape charge after they amount more evidence. The case is under investigation and Sithichoke has been refused bail.