A Co Down pensioner has been arrested in Thailand after the discovery of the body of a sex worker in a hotel room.
Police in the city of Pattaya in eastern Thailand have said they believe the body of the 45-year-old woman, Duangta Khampongsom, was in the room for at least three days before it was found by a hotel manager.
Bearach Beataidh, from Co Down, was arrested on December 22 after being located by police at a bar close to the hotel.
The 71-year-old was seen on CCTV footage holding hands with Ms Khampongsom and kissing her before entering his room in the guest house where he was staying.
Beataidh was shown on footage leaving the room last Sunday, the day the body was discovered, according to police.
The discovery was made when the guest house manager used a master key to open the room after noticing a foul odour.
Ms Khampongsom’s decomposing body was found partially clothed on the bed, it has been reported.
“The woman had been dead for at least three days. Her body had started to decay and bloat, emitting a foul odour throughout the room. She was clad only in denim shorts and nothing on her upper body. A search of the room found no evidence of a struggle or ransacking,” Police Captain Puttharak Sonkhamhan from the Pattaya City Police station said, according to The Daily Star.
“It would be difficult not to notice she was dead as her body was already decomposing. There was also fluid and blood on the bed.”
According to police, Bearach claimed the woman “kept vomiting and sleeping the whole time”, adding: “But I did not think it was anything abnormal. I understood that she felt weak and exhausted. We last spoke on December 19.”
The pensioner, who travelled to Thailand under an Irish passport, allegedly denied any wrongdoing, stating he was unaware of her death “because there was no unusual smell” in their room.
A spokesperson for the Republic’s Department of Foreign Affairs said it is “aware of reports and stands ready to provide consular assistance”, adding: “As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases.”
