Canadian teacher held in Prachuap Khiri Khan over abuse case
A Canadian teacher has been arrested in Prachuap Khiri Khan after allegedly fleeing a court case involving the sexual abuse of a teenage student in Nakhon Ratchasima, police said.
Officers from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division arrested the 68-year-old man, identified by police as Mr James, on 1 June. He is a Canadian national and a former assistant director of an international school.
Police said the arrest was made under a warrant issued by Sikhio Provincial Court on 22 January 2026.
The suspect faces charges related to the alleged sexual assault of a student who was under his care, and an indecent act against a person over the age of 15 who was unable to resist.
Arrest follows court warrant
According to police, the case began when the victim, identified only as Ms A, was a student at an international school in Nakhon Ratchasima. The suspect taught English-language mathematics at the school.
Police said the girl’s parents had trusted him because of his position at the school and his teaching experience. They hired him to provide private lessons at their home twice a week, with each lesson lasting around two hours. The lessons had continued for more than three years.
Police allege that an incident took place during a private lesson on 20 October 2025.
Afterwards, the student told her parents, who filed a complaint with Pak Chong Police Station. Investigators later gathered evidence and arrested the suspect. Police said a mobile phone seized from him contained a large number of obscene videos and photographs.
Suspect found in Prachuap Khiri Khan
The suspect was later released on bail while the case was proceeding. Police said he subsequently began selling personal assets, including gold, before leaving the area.
The victim’s family contacted The HUG Project, a non-profit organisation that works to protect and support children affected by sexual abuse, to help track the suspect.
Investigators later found that he had been staying with a foreign friend in Prachuap Khiri Khan. Officers then arrested him.
During questioning, the suspect claimed he had rented a house in the province after an argument with his Thai girlfriend and said he wanted peace and quiet.
He was taken to Sikhio Provincial Court for further legal proceedings.
