The 29-year-old UK tourist reported the rape last Friday morning to police in Patong who later obtained a warrant for the arrest of a 36-year-old French national who faces a range of serious charges.
A French national was arrested by police at a hastily improvised checkpoint in the centre of Phuket on Tuesday and charged with the rape, using violence, of a UK woman a week earlier on the 8th of September at a hotel in Patpong following a Tinder-arranged date at a local beach on the holiday island.
A 36-year-old French man is being held in custody at Patong Police Station in Phuket after his dramatic arrest by police on Tuesday in the Mueang district of the tourist island on charges of rape.
The French national registered with the police as living in Rawai, was on his way to Chalong when police were alerted to his whereabouts.
They had been tracking him after a warrant was issued earlier by the Phuket Provincial Court for his arrest on rape charges.
Victim initially reluctant to report the incident
This followed a complaint to police on Friday morning last by a 29-year-old UK woman who alleged that she was raped by the man at a hotel room on Tuesday 8th September in Patong after meeting him earlier at Surin Beach for a date.
The rendezvous at the beach in the Thalang district had been set up on Monday, September 7th when the woman met the man on the international dating app, Tinder.
The woman, who police have named as ‘Ms A’ claimed that afterwards, she accompanied her date back to the hotel room in Patong, where he raped her.
She told police that she was initially reluctant to report the incident but only did so after consulting with her family in the UK.
36-year-old French national in Phuket charged with a number of offences including rape and the use of violent threats against the woman
Patong Police Chief, Colonel Aganit Danpitaksat, gave a briefing on the case to the Phuket News newspaper on Wednesday after Mr Guenez was arrested and charged with several legal offences including rape and using threats of violence against the woman.
He is also facing a charge of indecency with a person over the age of 15 years of age.
For his part, during interrogation, it is reported that the Frenchman maintained his innocence of the charges against him.
He admitted to investigating police that he had sexual relations with the woman but claimed it was entirely consensual.
Arrested while driving at a police checkpoint
It is reported that the Frenchman was arrested while driving a white Nissan Juke car which had been heading towards the Chalong area of Phuket and was spotted doing a sudden U-turn by police tracking the vehicle.
The suspect was eventually arrested after he was stopped at a quickly deployed police checkpoint during which officers confirmed his identity as the man named in the court arrest warrant.
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Further reading:
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Thailand tightens screening of foreign English teachers following paedophile arrest
Calls to legalise prostitution in Thailand after Pattaya sex raid on Walking Street this week
