Police Arrest Former Olympic Gold Medalist for Sexual Assault

Thailand’s Somluck Kamsing, who won an Gold Olympic medal for Kickboxing, surrendered to police Thursday. He is facing four counts, including attempted rape, in connection with a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old girl.

Mr Somluck surrendered around half past midnight, according to Pol Lt Col Suparerk Suwanraj, deputy chief investigator of Muang district police. His eldest brother and a close buddy followed him.

Mr Somluck was later charged with stealing a minor (someone over the age of 15 but under the age of 18) from their parents or guardians, stealing a minor for indecency, committing an indecent act against a minor, and attempting to rape.

The former kickboxer, 50, disputed the claims.

Mr Somluck, according to Pol Lt Col Suparerk, was not ready for questioning at the time. He was released on the condition that his lawyer prepare a statement for police investigators within 15 days.

“The suspect denied all charges and requested 15 days to prepare a statement in his defense.” He apologized to making a mistake and vowed to fix it. He also asked the police to apologize to everyone involved and to society as a whole.

“He (Mr Somluck) did not appear tense, but he was fully aware that what had occurred was an error.” “Because the suspect turned himself in to demonstrate his sincerity, the police investigators agreed in a meeting that there is no reason for him to escape and let him go,” said Pol Lt Col Suparerk.

Police to Arrest Driver

He said the police would accuse a motorcycle driver who reportedly took the girl and Mr Somluck from an entertainment venue to a hotel with complicity in the alleged crime.

Mr Somluck was accused of sexual assault by the teenage girl, whose name has been concealed. She said that after meeting at a pub, Mr Somluck escorted her to a hotel and sexually attacked her. The incident occurred about 3.30 a.m. on December 10.

Mr Somluck, a former Muay Thai fighter turned boxer, won a bronze medal in 1989 and a gold medal in 1995 at the King’s Cup. He became the first Thai athlete to win a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.

Meanwhile, the man who drove Olympic champion Somluck Kamsing and a 17-year-old girl from a pub to a hotel is now facing additional charges. The driver had already been charged with soliciting prostitutes for others in the province’s northeastern region.

The 47-year-old male, named only as Paekko, was charged at the Mueang Khon Kaen police station with kidnapping a youngster from her guardians and bringing a minor for molestation. According to police, the biker, a native of tambon Sila in Muang district, was close to Mr Somluck and also worked as a football referee.

Thai kickboxer and Olympic gold medalist

In July of this year, police from the Ban Ped station in Muang district arraigned the guy in the Khon Kaen provincial court on charges of procuring prostitutes.

Somluck Kamsing, is a Thai kickboxer and Olympic gold medalist in amateur boxing. Kamsing lighted the torch at the opening ceremony of the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. Kamsing was born in the Thai city of Khon Kaen.

Somrak began competing in amateur boxing alongside his muay thai career, winning a bronze medal at the 1989 King’s Cup and a gold medal in the 1995 edition. He won a gold medal in the men’s Featherweight division at the 1996 Summer Olympics, defeating Ramaz Paliani and Serafim Todorov among others, being the first Thai athlete to do so.

He also competed in the Summer Olympics in 2000 and 2004, but did not win any medals. In Guangzhou, China, Kamsing finished second in the first AIBA Asian 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He lost in the final to North Korean Kim Song-Guk. However, as a result of this, he qualified for the Athens Games.