The incident was reported to Patong Police yesterday (Sept 27).
The woman, ‘Ms Wan’ (not her real name), explained to police that about three months ago she met a man online who used the name ‘Tum Klongchai’ (not his real name) on Facebook.
The two became acquainted, and regularly talked with each other.
However, the man yesterday turned up at her apartment off Phra Barami Rd in Patong at about 1pm. He reportedly asked Ms Wan to have sex with him. She refused, leading to an argument.
Ms Wan said the man repeatedly slapped and struck her. CCTV footage from the stairwell in front of Ms Wan’s front door shows her throwing a flip-flop at him as he is walking away. The flip-flop hit him in the back, to which he turned around and jump-kicked her in the chest. He then left the building.
Ms Wan told police that the jump-kick caught on CCTV was not the only time he had kicked her during the assault.
Ms Wan explained she went to a hospital for a physical examination and medical report of her injuries before she filed the formal complaint at Patong Police Station for him to be charged for the assault.
Ms Wan said she wanted the man, ‘Tum’, “to come forward and publicly admit his guilt [for the attack] and to apologise sincerely”.
“I also want to warn women and girls to be careful when using online dating apps. Be very careful. Don’t trust anyone you don’t know [well], because you just don’t know what kind of person he is at all,” she said.
“My whole heart hurts, my whole body hurts, and now I probably have to heal myself and take care of my own [state of] mind. I want this case to be a lesson to many young women,” Ms Wan said.