Police in Thailand arrested U.S. TikTok star and teacher Luke Rockwell after he allegedly had sex with a minor and recorded the act.
Twenty-nine-year-old Rockwell, who has 1.3 million followers on the social media site, was booked Sunday in the Wattana District after a mother accused him of having sex with her 16-year-old daughter while he was teaching kids English in Bangkok, the Bangkok Post reports.
The mother of the minor alleged to police that Rockwell and her daughter had been messaging each other before the relationship turned physical. They had known each other for about five months at this point.
The complaint obtained by the Bangkok Post also alleges that the influencer filmed their sexual encounters.
After finding out about the alleged relationship, the mother contacted the Department of Welfare For Children and Women, who took Rockwell into custody alongside officers from the Khlong Tan station.
The mother allegedly found out about the crime after her daughter fell ill with abdominal pains caused by chlamydia and gonorrhea that she contracted through Rockwell, the Daily Mail reported.
“My daughter had been messaging Teacher Luke for months using my phone. She deleted the messages after they chatted,” the shaken mother told the Daily Mail. “They met and had sex without me knowing, then my daughter caught gonorrhea and chlamydia from him.”
“I knew something was wrong when my daughter looked very sick. She looked pale and she was clutching her tummy complaining about the pain in that area. I kept on asking her questions until she told me about this man called Teacher Luke.”
“My daughter said the first time they had sex, Teacher Luke used protection but after he did not use any. She trusted him,” the mother told the Mail. “Teacher Luke told her to keep everything a secret until she turned 18. He told my daughter that he loved her and would let her come live with him when she’s no longer a minor.”
Police have not confirmed the allegations that Rockwell gave the minor STDs and said an investigation into the influencer is ongoing.
The age of consent in Thailand is 15, but anyone under 18 is considered a minor under the law, with Rockwell accused of “taking a minor over 15 years but not over 18 years of age away from a parent, guardian or caregiver without justifiable cause for obscenity.”
Rockwell faces up to 10 years in prison and fines of about $560 USD.
Since his arrest, Rockwell’s prominent social media presence has been scrubbed or set to private. He gained a huge following on TikTok under the username @english_with_teacherluke where he shared clips of himself teaching English.
“I’m not complaining to the police because I want money or compensation,” the mother said. “I want every woman and child to know how evil Teacher Luke is. It’s embarrassing for me to tell people about what’s happening to my family but I hope it prevents Teacher Luke from ever taking advantage of any girl in the future.”
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