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<h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-color" style="color:#332224;font-size:14px"><strong>Thai ex-convict admitted Sunday to murdering British boy, 16, who was found battered to death in a forest, claiming killing happened after &#8216;a drug deal went wrong&#8217; </strong></h1>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-color" style="color:#332224;font-size:14px"><strong><strong>On Saturday May 6, Taota borrowed his mother&#8217;s scooter and was seen riding with a girl before he was found dead the next day in Lampang province on May 7</strong> </strong></h1>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-color" style="color:#332224;font-size:14px"><strong>Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, said he battered teenager Woramet Ben Taota to death with a stick in a rage, <strong>after an argument broke</strong> out </strong></h1>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-color" style="color:#332224;font-size:14px"><strong>He became very angry and hit the boy to death with a piece of wood because he believed Taota stole something and was lying</strong></h1>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-color" style="color:#332224;font-size:14px"><strong>Boongarin told police Taota and his girlfriend Suraphltchaya Khamsa, also 16, were methamphetamine runners for him, but they stole the substances from him </strong></h1>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-color" style="color:#332224;font-size:14px"><strong>Taota&#8217;s girlfriend, Khamsa who accompanied to the meeting, has not been seen since his body was found with head and face trauma</strong></h1>



<h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-color" style="color:#332224;font-size:14px"><strong>Boongarin who has connections to the local drug trade, was released from prison eight months ago following a sex crimes conviction</strong></h1>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Chaiwat-Boongarin-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-440203" width="782" height="987"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Sex crimes convict Chaiwat Boongarin, [photo], said he hit teenager Woramet Ben Taota when a drug deal went wrong</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A sex crimes convict has admitted to murdering a 16-year-old British boy who was found battered to death in a Thai forest on Sunday, May 7.<br>Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, said he hit teenager Woramet Ben Taota when a drug deal went wrong, according to Thai police.<br>Authorities in Lampang said the suspect has claimed that Taota and his girlfriend Suraphltchaya Khamsa, also 16, ran methamphetamine for him, but they stole the drugs from him.</p>



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<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>CCTV captures final sighting of murdered Briton Woramet Ben Taota in Thailand</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The career criminal whose priors includes convictions for sex crimes, allegedly lured Ben to a forest and then beat him to death with a stick before Khamsa fled.<br>Boongarin is now being remanded in custody in the Mae Tha district, before police took him on a crime reconstruction.<br>The only possible witness, Khamsa, has not been seen since Taota&#8217;s body was found with severe trauma to the head and face.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image-27.png" alt="" class="wp-image-440217" width="838" height="505"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Boonkarin confessed to killing Woramet Ben Taota [left]. The victim&#8217;s 16-year-old girlfriend Suraphltchaya Khamsa, [right], has net been seen since Taota&#8217;s body was found</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The tape of Ben&#8217;s last sighting was released two days after his British dad furiously confronted the man who murdered his son, screaming at him: &#8216;Look me in the eye, you b***ard&#8217;.<br>Shaking with rage, Steven Graham stared through the window of a police truck as sex crimes convict Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, was taken back to the spot where he murdered Woramet Ben Taota, 16, and dumped his body on Saturday. <br>On Saturday May 6, Taota borrowed his mother&#8217;s scooter and was seen riding with a girl, believed to be his current girlfriend, Suraphltchaya Khamsa.<br>The body of Steve Graham&#8217;s teenage son was discovered on Sunday May 7, in a dense forest in Lampang, northern Thailand, prompting the 60-year-old businessman to rush to the country from his home in East Sussex, UK.</p>



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</div><figcaption><strong>Ben Taota&#8217;s father, Steven Graham, confronts his son&#8217;s killer </strong></figcaption></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Wednesday Grahame confronted his son&#8217;s killer who was sitting in the back of the police truck after confessing to the crime.<br>Footage from the encounter shows the window was briefly lowered before Mr Graham shouted: &#8216;Scum, look at me in the eye, look at me in the eye, you b***ard&#8217;.<br>Speaking afterwards, he said: &#8216;I want to throttle him&#8217;.<br>The suspect Chaiwat Boongarin, wearing a bulletproof vest, was then escorted in handcuffs to the secluded spot where Ben was found battered to death on Sunday morning, for a crime scene reconstruction.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Chaiwat-Boongarin-center-in-handcuffs-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-440212" width="837" height="451"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Murder suspect Chaiwat Boongarin [center, in handcuffs], being led by Thai police to the forest, where Ben Taota&#8217;s body had been found, for a crime reconstruction</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image-28.png" alt="" class="wp-image-440223" width="839" height="451"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Steve Graham traveled from UK to Thailand to confront the sex offender, drug dealer who battered his teenage son to death in Thai forest. Graham is seen furiously screaming at Chaiwat Boongarin through the window of a police car: &#8216;Look me in the eye, you b***ard&#8217;</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image-29.png" alt="" class="wp-image-440224" width="830" height="458"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Thai police attempt to retrain Graham, a businessman who flew in from East Sussex, UK, as he approached the police car parked near the spot where his son&#8217;s body was found</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thai authorities said Boongarin confessed to killing the teenager after an argument broke out.<br>The alleged killer claims he became very angry and hit the boy to death with a piece of wood because he believed Taota stole something and was lying.<br>The 44-year-old, who had connections to the local drug trade, was released from prison eight months ago after being convicted of sex crimes.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Steve-Graham-and-Ooy-Taota-with-their-son-Woramet-Ben-Taota-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-440214" width="841" height="760"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Dual national Woramet Ben Taota is seen [right], with his British father Steve Graham [left] and his mother Ooy Taota with whom he was living in Thailand</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Woramet-Ben-Taota-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-440205" width="833" height="453"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>On Saturday May 6, Taota borrowed his mother&#8217;s blue scooter and was seen riding with a girl on the back before he was found dead the next day in Lampang province on May 7</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Police Major General Mongkol Sampawapol said: &#8216;The killer was angry because he believed that Woramet kept the drugs for himself and his girlfriends, so he hit Woramet with a stick several times until he died.&#8217;<br>Dual national Taota borrowed his mother&#8217;s blue scooter and was seen riding with a girl on the back before he was found dead the next day in Lampang province on May 7. <br>His body was later found in a grove, with injuries adjudged to be blunt force trauma.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Woramet-Ben-Taotas-body-was-found-in-this-grove-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-440206" width="839" height="455"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Taota had a female passenger riding the pillion seat of his scooter. His body was found in this grove, with injuries resembling blunt force, on May 7. The girl has not been seen, since</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">His devastated British father Steven Graham, 60, a businessman who runs a thatched property insurance firm, has traveled to Thailand to speak to investigators.<br>Police said Ben Taota was &#8216;romantically involved with&#8217; Khamsa, who was captured by CCTV cameras riding pillion with him at around 4.25pm as they visited her grandfather. They dropped off another girl, also seen on the bike, then rode away together at 7.18pm in darkness.<br>The detectives who initially said they are searching for a second girlfriend amid fears for her safety, announced that Ben&#8217;s former girlfriend, Yam, has been found and she is safe. Police have ruled her out of the case.<br>In another twist police claim to have seen Boongarin on a black Honda motorbike on Saturday night with a woman they believe to be Khamsa.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ooy-Taota-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-440227" width="842" height="452"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Ben&#8217;s mother Ooy Taota is seen being blocked by a police officer from getting to her son&#8217;s killer, at the time Boongarin who is out of frame., was showing police the scene of the crime</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ben&#8217;s grandmother Lilian Graham Tuesday said she believes he was persuaded to go to the forest where he was murdered.<br>Speaking from the family home in Eastbourne, East Sussex, Lilian Graham said: &#8216;Ben was with a girl and they went to the forest to meet a man. But something must have happened. And the man killed Ben. They don&#8217;t know what has happened to the girl.&#8217;<br>She added: &#8216;It&#8217;s been a real shock. We are all devastated. Ben&#8217;s father Steve is going to Thailand tonight.<br>&#8216;I wanted to go out there with him to support him. But he wouldn&#8217;t let me. He said the flight was too long and it would be too upsetting.&#8217;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Woramet-Ben-Taota-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-440207" width="833" height="1088"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Ben Taota&#8217;s grandmother Lilian Graham, believes he was persuaded to go to the forest where he was murdered. While the search for Khamsa, his companion at the meet is ongoing, Ben&#8217;s first girlfriend, Yam, has been found and police have ruled her out of the case </strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Her grandson was born following a long-distance romance between her son Steve and the boy&#8217;s mother, who is known as Ooy, Lilian Graham explains.<br>&#8216;Steve met Ben&#8217;s mum Ooy when he was in Thailand on holiday with friends. She became pregnant and Steve went back many times,&#8217; She said, adding &#8216;I went out to visit them as well. I really love it out there. But they lived too far apart and sadly their relationship didn&#8217;t work out. But Steve and me really loved Ben. He was really special. A real character.&#8217;<br>Speaking about the still missing teenage girl, Police Major General Sampawapol said, &#8216;Suraphltchaya&#8217;s nickname was Ping Pong. She also had a close romantic relationship with the deceased. <br>&#8216;She is still missing and we are actively searching for her. She was the last person to see Ben.&#8217;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Suraphltchaya-Khamsa-1-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-440236" width="835" height="1084"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Last seen Woramet Ben Taota, 16, went for a motorcycle ride with Suraphltchaya Khamsa, 16, ([photo], in Thailand&#8217;s Lampang province on May 6. Neither teen returned to their homes</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The parents of the missing girl sent a plea through the media for help finding their daughter, as police claimed the suspect was seen riding his black Honda Wave motorcycle without a license plate on Saturday night. Around 9pm he reportedly, parked the bike at a relative&#8217;s house with a young woman they believe is Ben&#8217;s girlfriend, Khamsa.<br>Three days later, cops found the bike behind a cow shed close to the home.<br>Sampawapol added: &#8216;The suspect told his relative that he wanted to leave his motorcycle at their house.<br>&#8216;He told them that he was looking for a rental house for his mistress. He then left the house with another motorcycle and returned the next morning. <br>&#8216;After that, he rode the black Honda Wave and left it near the hut before officers found it on May, 9. <br>&#8216;We are still searching for the young woman and believe that she is still safe.&#8217;<br>Police said they are not ruling out any motives, attributing the killing to a possible love affair, a personal conflict, or a work dispute.<br>Police Colonel Sittisak added: &#8216;We have not yet finalized the issue.<br>&#8216;It is still unclear whether it was a robbery, because the phone and cash of the deceased were not found, but we still cannot rule out other issues.&#8217;</p>

Thai ex-convict, 44, admits battering British boy, 16, who to death in a forest in a rage, ‘because victim stole his drugs and lied to him’ – Victims’ female companion, 16, still missing
