A British tourist has been arrested for allegedly r@ping a six-year-old girl in Thailand after he was traced by UK cops.
Luke Adam Lawrence, 30, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, was identified by investigators at the National Crime Agency (NCA) in London over an alleged video of a schoolgirl being abused.
Officers worked with local cops and tracked Lawrence to the seaside "Sin City" resort of Pattaya where he was living with a Thai girlfriend.
Armed police stormed into his rented home at the Private Paradise Pattaya condominium block on Tuesday morning, December 3.
Footage shows Lawrence emerging from the bedroom shirtless followed by his partner in a light blue silk night wear. A translator in a blue denim jacket was present, reading the charges to the suspect.
Cops ordered Lawrence to kneel before he confirmed his name. He reacted by saying "what, woah, wow" as the charges were read out.
Reading from the court arrest warrant, the translator says: "According to the illegal conduct you have done, there has been a charge of r@pe, statutory r@pe, of another individual, by force, by threat, by applying threats and force, violent threats and violent force, to a person that was in a position that could not resist, or a person that could not fight back.
"Also, against a minor under the age of 13 years old, which is not your wife, not your legal wife."
The translator went on: "Even if that child did or did not agree, this conduct has been done against a child, who has not reached the age of 13 years old, so even if the child did agree or not agree to that, the child was in a situation where they could not fight back or do anything about that."
Lawrence was then formally arrested over the alleged r@pe of the youngster, who he is said to have known through a friend. He was frogmarched into a waiting police van.
Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) issued a media release confirming that the suspect had been identified by the NCA in England over the sexual abuse of the child.
Officers said the investigation was launched when the NCA claimed to have traced child abuse content to Lawrence's phone.
A clip allegedly showed him r@ping a young Southeast Asian girl, which they believe happened in Thailand.
The cops in the UK then liaised with officers in Bangkok at the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division. The Thai police said they analysed the footage and compared it with different locations in Pattaya and social media posts to find Lawrence.
They claim to have identified the victim as a seven-year-old girl who was abused when she was six years old. They believe that Lawrence had connections to the mother of the alleged victim.
An arrest warrant was issued for "r@ping a minor under the age of 13" and Lawrence was caught at 7:15 am. He was handcuffed and passed to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division for further legal action.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Kiatkong Thongkham of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division said: "The suspect denied all charges and refused to testify during the arrest. He was detained at the police station."
Investigating officers later informed the schoolgirl's mother of the arrest. They allegedly presented evidence and she filed further complaints to be added to the charge sheet.
The CIB said in a statement about the case that local women should "beware" of foreign men who visit the country looking for a girlfriend.
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