Former sex crimes convict admits to murdering British boy, 16, who was found dead in Thai forest

A sex offender has admitted to killing a 16-year-old British boy who was found tortured to death in a Thai forest on Sunday.

Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, said he punched teenager Woramet Ben Taota when a drug deal went wrong, Thai police said.

Officials say the man claims that Taota and his girlfriend Suraphltchaya Khamsa, also 16, were methamphetamine runners before him, but that they stole the substances from him.

The felon, who has previously been convicted of sex crimes, allegedly lured Ben to a forest and then beat him to death with a stick before Khamsa fled.

Boongarin is now in pretrial detention in the Mae Tha district and officers will take him on a crime reenactment later today.

Khamsa, meanwhile, has not been seen since Taota’s body was found with a deep wound on his head and cuts on his face.

Officers have located Ben’s girlfriend Yam, another 16-year-old, and are now still looking for the second girl he had a relationship with.

News of Boongarin’s confession comes after terrifying CCTV footage emerged showing the last sighting of Taota in his hometown of Lampang on Saturday – the day before his body was found in the forest.

Officers said Boonkarin confessed to killing the teen after an argument broke out.

Boonkarin got very angry and beat the boy to death with a piece of wood because he thought Taota stole something and was lying, according to reports.

The 44-year-old, who had links to the local drug trade, was released from prison eight months ago after being convicted of sex crimes.

Police Major General Mongkol Sampawapol said, “The killer was angry because he thought Woramet was keeping the drugs for himself and his girlfriends, so he beat Woramet several times with a stick until he died.”

Taota, who had dual citizenship, borrowed his mother’s blue scooter and was seen riding with a girl on the back before being found dead the next day in Lampang province on May 7. His body was later found in a forest, with injuries that appeared to be blunt force.

His devastated British father Steven Graham, 60, a businessman who runs a thatched insurance company, has traveled to Thailand to speak to detectives there, who say they are looking for a second girlfriend out of fears for her safety.

Police said he was “romantically involved” with Khamsa and drove behind at around 4:25pm when they visited her grandfather. They dropped off another girl, also seen on a bicycle, and then rode off together in the dark at 7:18 p.m.

Ben’s first girlfriend, Yam, has been found and she is safe.

The police have excluded her from the case.

Officers claim they saw Boonkarin riding a black Honda motorcycle on Saturday night with a woman they believe is Khamsa.

Ben’s grandmother Lilian Graham told MailOnline on Tuesday she believes he was persuaded to go to the woods where he was killed.

Speaking from the family home in Eastbourne, East Sussex, Ms Graham said: ‘Ben was with a girl and they went to the woods to meet a man. But something must have happened. And the man killed Ben. They don’t know what happened to the girl.’

Ms Graham added: ‘It was a real shock. We’re all broken. Ben’s dad Steve is going to Thailand tonight.

“I wanted to go out with him and support him. But he wouldn’t let me. He said the flight was too long and would be too distressing.’

Mrs. Graham told how Ben was born after a long-standing romance between her son Steve and the boy’s mother, known as Ooy.

She said: ‘Steve met Ben’s mother Ooy when he was on holiday in Thailand with friends. She got pregnant and Steve went back many times.

‘I also visited them. I really like it. But they lived too far apart and unfortunately their relationship didn’t work out. But Steve and I really loved Ben. He was really special. A real character.’

Police Major General Sampawapol said, “Suraphltchaya’s nickname was Ping Pong. She also had a close romantic relationship with the deceased. She is still missing and we are actively looking for her. She was the last person Ben saw.

A suspect has been arrested who has known the victim for some time. He denies any involvement in the death. However, we believe he is involved and it is related to drug trafficking in the area.”

Police said the suspect was released from prison about eight months ago after previous convictions for sex crimes.

They alleged that Chaiwat was seen riding his black unplated Honda Wave motorcycle at around 9pm on May 6 and parked it at his relative’s home with a young woman they believe is Ben’s girlfriend, Suraphltchaya.

The motorcycle was found by officers behind a cowshed close to the house on May 9.

Sampawapol added, “The suspect told his relative that he wanted to leave his motorcycle at their house.

“He told them he was looking for a house to rent for his mistress. He then left the house on another motorcycle and returned the next morning.

Then he rode the black Honda Wave and left it at the cabin before officers found it on May 9.

“We are still looking for the young woman and believe she is still safe.”

Officers had reported that the teen’s phone and money were missing from his shoulder bag and suggested he may have been robbed.

They think he was killed elsewhere and left in the woods because there were no signs of a struggle.

Thai media reported that Ben’s body was found by a garbage collector who was at work on Sunday morning.

Police Colonel Sittisak Singtongla, superintendent of the Mae Tha Police Department, said: “The station received a report at 10:15 am that a deceased person had been found in the undergrowth.”

Investigation teams from Mae Tha Police Station and Lampang Provincial Investigation Team along with forensic officers, forensic medicine doctors and Tanna Krua Forest Rescue personnel were on the scene.

Thai media reported that the teenager was found with his back against a tree, wearing a black long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans.

Police said the body has been taken to hospital for an autopsy.

“We are currently tracing people close to the victim, including his female companion. She is a key figure in this case, as she is the last person to see him alive.’

Ben’s mother, Ooy Taota, told police her son said goodbye to her on Saturday night, saying he was “going to work with friends,” but gave her no further details.

With the news of his death, friends took to Facebook to leave tributes for Taota.

The missing girl’s parents are said to have ‘begged’ the media to help find their daughter.

Police said they did not rule out motives and attributed the murder to a possible love affair, a personal conflict or a work conflict.

Police Colonel Sittisak added: “We have not finalized the matter.

“It is still unclear whether it was a robbery, because the phone and money of the deceased have not been found, but we cannot rule out other matters yet.”