6-12-2023 (BANGKOK) Two senior police officers in Pattaya are set to face disciplinary and potentially criminal consequences for allowing a German man, accused of child sex charges, to leave the country, announced Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn on Wednesday.
The implicated station chief and an interrogator in Pattaya are under scrutiny for their failure to remand the suspect, Jens Kirch, 55, into immigration police custody and for not opposing his bail request. The child sex case, dating back to September 2022, revolves around allegations that Kirch engaged in sexual activities with a minor he took from a bar to his hotel room in Pattaya.
Kirch, granted permission to depart the country in November of the previous year under the guise of a “business trip,” failed to return for his scheduled trial in Pattaya Court later that month, as per the court’s order.
Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn cautioned that the implicated officers may face criminal charges if evidence surfaces of bribery involvement in the case.
In light of a German documentary asserting the suspect’s presence in Germany, Pol Gen Surachate expressed his intention to discuss extradition matters with the German ambassador to Thailand. Notably, the absence of an extradition agreement between the two countries complicates such proceedings.
The documentary, titled “Sex Tourists in Thailand,” previously accessible on the Deutsche Welle Documentary YouTube Channel, has been blocked in Thailand. According to the documentary, Kirch allegedly claimed to have paid approximately 700,000 baht for bail and legal fees, coupled with an additional one million baht in cash to officials, before departing for Frankfurt seven days after being charged.
