The incident is alleged to have occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning (May 17), when the German guest returned to the Centara Karon Resort Phuket following a night out in Patong with her Irish roommate.
Her friend left Patong at about 2am, but the German decided to stay on in Patong and returned to the hotel at 7am in the company of a male guest.
When the German returned she tried to enter the hotel room, but her Irish friend did not respond to her knocking on the door. The German went down to reception to ask for a spare keycard. Receptionist Sakchai accompanied them back to the room with the wrong keycard.
When Sakchai went back to the hotel front desk to get the correct one, the German’s male friend went with him. Sakchai told the man to leave, as it was hotel policy to not allow non-paying guests to spend the night or walk around the hotel. The friend then left the hotel.
Sakchai then returned to the German’s room and used a key card to open the room next door, in where it is alleged he dragged her, before allegedly raping her.
After the alleged attack, the German woman managed to get out of the room and rouse her Irish friend. The two then went to Chalong Police Station to lodge the complaint on the same day (May 17).
Police contacted Sakchai and asked him to surrender himself at Phuket Police, which he did later that day. Following the gathering of evidence, he was charged with rape. Sakchai remains in police custody.
Sakchai maintains the sex was consensual.