BANGKOK: -- Police have arrested an American man for sex crimes allegedly committed in the United States and Thailand.
Thomas Andrew Erickson, 47, who is also known as Andrew McLean or Barry
Stewart, was nabbed in Samut Prakan while in possession of fake US and
British passports.
Central Investigation Bureau acting chief Lt-General Prawut Thawornsiri
announced Erickson's arrest yesterday. "On September 15, US authorities
alerted us that an American had fled to Thailand to avoid arrest related
to sexual and physical assaults," Prawut said.
After learning that the US has already revoked Erickson's passport,
police also learned that a jewellery shop assistant in Bangkok's Bang
Rak district had lodged a complaint against Erickson in early 2011 over
an alleged rape and attack that left her seriously injured.
Prawut said that after having a brush with the law here, Erickson had
used a fake British passport to secure a teaching job at a famous school
in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
"He later moved to the Rangsit area and then Prawet area, doing a brief
stint as an English-language teacher," the senior officer said. "He also
worked as a freelancer for a media firm via an Internet-based contact".
Prawut said Erickson opened a language school behind Khon Kaen
University. "Based on our inquiries, he assaulted many victims in
Thailand," he said. "Some victims were lecturers at famous private and
state universities. These victims came to him as they wanted to improve
their English skills. After the assaults, they did not lodge complaints
because they felt humiliated."
He said Erickson had bipolar disorder.
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