Christopher Neil is set to begin his trial in Bangkok Monday for allegedly committing sex crimes against a minor, but his Thai boyfriend says it's "impossible" he could have abused anyone.
Ohm, who only goes by one name and first met Neil three years ago, says the Canadian never gave him the impression he was a pedophile as Thai police have alleged.
"I think it's impossible," he told CTV's Steve Chao in the Thai city of Pattaya. "I didn't know him before, but when I knew him, he looked like a normal guy."
Ohm, 26, is one of Neil's staunchest defenders and has regularly visited him in jail.
"I told him I will wait for him," he said.
Neil, 32, has been charged in Bangkok Criminal Court with:
- Taking a child under 15 without parental consent with intent to molest, punishable by up to 20 years in prison;
- Illegal detention, punishable by up to three years; and,
- Sexual abuse of a child under 15, punishable by up to 10 years.
Neil, from Maple Ridge, B.C. has pleaded not guilty, protested his innocence and told a reporter during a March court appearance: "I hope there will be justice in Thailand."
Prosecutors will be relying on the testimony of one Thai boy and about 70 photographs.
The boy was nine when the alleged incident occurred in 2003.
Neil's lawyer has remained largely tight-lipped about his strategy to defend his client.
"The lawyer said they will show the boy willingly spent time with Neil and plans to refute the charges of sexual abuse and kidnapping," Chao told 麻豆影视net.
The defence thinks the trial could possibly last up to a year, he said.
If Neil is acquitted in Thailand, he could face more charges in nearby Vietnam and Cambodia.
Neil had spent years in Asia teaching English.
He became the object of an international manhunt after the international police agency Interpol unscrambled a digitally altered photo showing a Western man with Asian boys.
The man in that photo was alleged to be Neil.
Police arrested Neil in Thailand in October, while he was staying with Ohm, who says he never knew Neil was a wanted man.
Neil's family in British Columbia reportedly did not provide money for legal counsel, and so Neil has a court-appointed lawyer, Chao said.
With a report by CTV's Steve Chao in Bangkok
