TikTok star and English language teacher Luke Rockwell, 29, with 2m followers is arrested for 'having sex with a minor he infected with STDs' while working at private Christian schools in Bangkok





TikTok star and teacher Luke Rockwell has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a minor her mother says he infected with STDs while teaching English at private Christians schools in Bangkok.

The 29-year-old, from Florida, reportedly contacted a 16-year-old schoolgirl on social media before having sex with her ‘on multiple occasions' while recording it and telling her to ‘keep it a secret'.

Last month the young girl fell ill with abdominal pains caused by chlamydia and gonorrhea passed onto her by Rockwell, who uses the name Teacher Luke for his TikToks, according to the girl's mother.

Her worried mother rushed her to hospital before uncovering the alleged sex.

The horrified mother filed a police report on August 29 and Rockwell was arrested yesterday at his luxury apartment for ‘sex with a minor' and ‘recording the acts'.

Speaking today, the shaken mother said: ‘My daughter had been messaging Teacher Luke for months using my phone. She deleted the messages after they chatted.

‘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.

‘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.

‘My daughter messaged him the STD test result where she had tested positive for gonorrhea. He promised that he would take responsibility for the costs.

‘I'm not complaining to the police because I want money or compensation. I don't care about the money.

‘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.'

Rockwell is from Melbourne, Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida. He previously worked at the prestigious Wall Street English college in Bangkok, where he taught locals.

He has previously worked at the Bangkok Christian College (BCC) and Thai Christian School, giving short English lessons.

Over a few years, his TikTok has gained more than two million followers, many being young girls.

The alleged victim, who attended a school that Rockwell had previously taught at, is said to have exchanged messages with the teacher over another one of his social media accounts on Instagram.

Her mother said that her daughter was a ‘vulnerable and troubled' teenager who had been adopted when she was three and had ‘hardly any friends'.

She added: ‘My daughter can hardly speak Thai and she has very few local friends. She is troubled and she really believed that Luke loved her. We have been home schooling her because of all the difficulties she has had.'

Police at the Khlong Tan district station received the report on August 29. An arrest warrant for Rockwell was later approved by the city's criminal court.

According to the complaint, Rockwell is accused of ‘depriving a minor over fifteen years but not over eighteen years of age for indecency'. The age of consent in Thailand is 15 but anyone under 18 is still considered a minor.

It continues: ‘The alleged victim's mother came to see the investigator informing him that her daughter had pain in the abdomen.

‘When she questioned her daughter, she found that in early February she had been in contact with the suspect over Instagram. They talked often before meeting in a shopping mall and then he took her to his condo where they had sex. The couple had been in constant contact afterwards.'

Officers from the Khlong Tan station were joined by a team from the Department of Welfare For Children and Women at Police Headquarters when they served the arrest warrant on Sunday morning.

Rockwell was then questioned in custody where he admitted to being the person named in the arrest warrant.

Lieutenant General Thitsit Sangsawan, commander of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), ordered the arrest operation led by Deputy Commissioner Lieutenant General Piyarat Wesakanok, along with the assistance of the police investigative team from the Khlong Tan Police Station.

Police chief Sangsawan said: ‘The American suspect was arrested for sex with a minor who is over 15 years old but not exceeding 18 years and recording the act of sex with a minor.

‘Additionally, he is accused of taking a minor away from their parents, guardian, or caretaker without reasonable cause, willingly and intentionally.

‘The suspect surrended willingly and was cooperative. He has confessed to the relationship with the minor.

‘There are now extra details to investigate in order to gather all information in the case against the suspect.'

The Bangkok Post wrote:A unique aspect of Thai law is that if a sexual encounter occurs with a teen (aged 15-18) outside the home it requires parental consent. There seems to be a legal presumption that if the sexual activity occurs in the minor’s home, the parents have consented.

stevenjb wrote: ↑Fri Sep 08, 2023 12:05 am Do these schools do background checks?