A 36-year-old man who was arrested for allegedly groping 20 to 30 women on Bangkok buses from August to November has confessed and claimed he could not keep his hands to himself after spotting the victims, a senior police officer said on Thursday.
Peerapol Yodcharoen, who works as a tourism greeter at Bangkok airports, was caught inappropriately touching a woman in a video clip taken in the late morning of November 26 and published by the woman on Facebook, said city police deputy chief Pol Maj-General Sompong Chingdoung during a press conference at the Bang Sue precinct.
After the clip then went viral on social media, a previous victim identified by the alias “Por” reported that the same man had groped her breasts on the afternoon of August 18.
Por said she recognised the man who had groped her and then fled, so she filed a police complaint on Sunday, resulting in a police investigation and the issuance of an arrest warrant.
Peerapol was arrested at his home in Tambon Bang Poon of Pathum Thani’s Muang district, Sompong said.
He was charged with committing an indecent act against a person over 15 years of age who was unable to resist, which is punishable by up to 10 years in jail term, a Bt20,000 (S$825) in fine or both.
Police also found that Peerapol had been arrested on April 4 for a similar indecent action committed at a bus stop in Don Muang, he added.
Bangkok buses, which are often crowded by commuters, are reported as scenes of sexual harassment more frequently than motorcycle taxis and car taxis, according to a survey announced on November 21 as part of the “Theung Wela Pheuk”, or “Time to Intervene”, campaign.
The campaign was aimed to encourage members of the public to intervene to when witnessing offensive behaviour and make Bangkok public transport safe for women to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25.
