An American student has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a pregnant horse.
Steven Lee Snyder, 18, from Fairfax County, Virginia, was allegedly seen on CCTV sexually assaulting the animal at a stable in Phuket, Thailand, on February 5 and again on March 10.
He appeared to be holding a smartphone in his right hand while touching the horse’s genitals with the other on the popular holiday island.
Shocked owners Chatcharoj Lek-Awut, 50, and his wife Prapada, 43, said they discovered the assault when they returned from a trip on Sunday and the filly, named Angun, was in distress.
Police officers found the student on Monday evening and in excruciating scenes, used Google Translate to ask him what he had done.
They then frogmarched him to his father, Sean, and showed him the surveillance video of the alleged attacks.
‘This apparently isn’t the first time, he said that you have done this before,’ Sean is heard in the video telling his son outside their villa.
Horse owner Prapada said that she initially thought Steven was a normal teenager who often visited their home to play with the horses.
However, she became suspicious of the way he caressed the nags. She said that she reported the February 5 case to the police, but they failed to act.
In the most recent alleged assault, she said the pregnant mare appeared to have suffered damage to her vagina.
The couple submitted the clip as evidence when they filed a complaint with the Thalang Police Station and animal nonprofit Watchdog Thailand Foundation on March 11.
Officers led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Yuthaphon Watthaseth of the Thalang Police Station arrested Steven outside his home, a short walk from the stable.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Yuthaphon said: ‘Steven and his family are scheduled to meet with the horse owners at the station to discuss negotiations on March 16.
‘There are medical expenses for the injured horse that the family may have to pay for. We will mediate between the two people to ensure that they are both happy with the outcome and it does not happen again.’
Horse rider Prapada said she wanted the student to stop touching her horses and for him to seek help.
She said: ‘We first met him two years ago. He dropped by frequently to see the horses, so I thought he was just an animal lover. But I became suspicious of him when I saw how he caressed the horses.
‘I found it strange. I tried to keep them away by taking them inside the stable.
‘In the most recent case, my horse Angun is four months pregnant and she had discharge coming from her vagina. I knew something was amiss so I checked the CCTV.
‘I believe he had done it before with a miniature horse who was pregnant and she miscarried.
