A 16-year-old student who was gang-raped by four men tried to take her own life by running in front of a train at a railway crossing but was safely rescued.
The girl was said to have been in severe distress because the four suspects, aged 20-27, were free on bail and their relatives were continuing to intimidate her and her family.
On Tuesday night, the girl tried to commit suicide by running towards a railway crossing and into the path of a train in Nakhon Ratchasima. Passersby saw the incident and managed to pull her to safety.
Police took her to a local station to calm her down and she was later sent to hospital for treatment.
The rape took place on April 28. According to Thai media reports, the four suspects confessed during questioning but they were not detained as police said they did not pose a flight risk.
Police pressed charges and sent their report to prosecutors in June. After hearing nothing further for two months, the girl and her family turned to the media and a non-governmental organisation for help.
On Aug 30 the family of the victim went to the police station for an update on the case. Two days later, the family sought help from a social media advocate who took them to see deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.
A few days later, the suspects were finally brought to court. The court approved their release on a surety of 400,000 baht and ordered them to wear electronic monitoring devices. They were also ordered to stay at least one kilometre away from the victim’s house.
However, the girl was scared as her alleged attackers’ houses were in the same area as hers, said a source familiar with the case.
Some relatives allegedly threatened to hire lawyers to sue her for causing embarrassment to them. They also allegedly asked others to spread news about her being gang-raped. The girl felt ashamed and dared not go to school, said a source.
The girl is now under the care of the Witness Protection Office of the Ministry of Justice.
