Pol. Col. Thanawat Taraka, Commander of Taling Chan Police, said it was “unlikely” that the 23-year-old tourist, whose name is being withheld, was sexually assaulted, reasoning that there was simply not enough time for the incident to take place, based on the time she was last seen on CCTV cameras.
He said that surveillance cameras captured the tourist at 3:40am on Khaosan Road, before she arrived at the Taling Chan Police station to file her report 40 minutes later.
A ride from Khaosan Road to the Wattachak building, where the alleged assault took place, would take 17 to 25 minutes, depending on traffic, according to Google.
“If there was a sexual assault, it would have taken her longer [to get to the police station],” Pol. Col. Thanawat was quoted as saying in a report on Bangkok Biz News.
“Besides, at the time she claimed the assault took place, she was seen on Khaosan Road,” he added.
He said the CCTV also captured the tourist in a tuk tuk near the crime scene at 4:16pm, four minutes before she arrived at the station to file her report on the motorbike of a local who reportedly helped her. Police are also looking for that motorcycle driver.
The Australian was reportedly sent to the hospital for an examination. The police are expecting the results today.
Meanwhile, Pol. Lt. Gen. Sanit Mahathavorn, Commander of the Metropolitan Police, said Sunday that they are also trying to track down a man seen with the victim on Khaosan Road for questioning.
Local media ran blurry footage from the surveillance cameras, showing the victim strolling with a man, whom the police only identified as “foreign.”
Tuk tuk drivers in the Khaosan Road area were also questioned, Morning News reported.
Sanit said that the victim has since left the city for Koh Samui. Police will call her in for another round of questioning before she leaves to return to Australia on Dec. 19.
Sanit said police are moving fast with the investigation as it affects the reputation of Thailand.
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