British father who confronted 16-year-old son's alleged killer speaks of agony ... trends now

A grieving British father believes his vulnerable son fell into the clutches of a ruthless drug dealer in Thailand – and was then lured to his death in a honeytrap.

Successful businessman Steven Graham angrily confronted the killer of his son, Woramet Ben Taota this week, as police staged a reconstruction of the murder in the jungle outside Lampang, in the north of the country.

Fighting back tears, Mr Graham, 60, screamed 'Look me in the eyes, you b*****d!' at suspect Chaitwat 'Wat' Boongarin, as police held him back.

The boy, whose father knew him as Ben, was found battered to death in woodland outside the remote village in northern Thailand where he had grown up with his Thai mother.

This week, MailOnline travelled to Lampang to visit Steve and Ben's 50-year-old mother Ooy at the spacious home where Ben grew up and where Steve, who divides his time between the UK and Thailand, often visited.

In an exclusive interview, the couple spoke of the agony of losing their only child but also the ongoing mystery surrounding his brutal and, as yet, unexplained murder.

For while Thai police have arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of Ben's murder, they are still piecing together how he was killed.

The parents revealed how police believe Ben was lured to meet his killer by a 15-year-old girl who had become hooked on methamphetamine pills. 

Ben had ridden to the secluded spot on his scooter with the girl on the back.

Steve, who runs a business insuring thatched-roof properties, wiped away tears as he told MailOnline: 'Ben was lured to meet his killer in some kind of honey trap set by this young girl.

'She is only 15. She and Ben have known each other since they were young. They were close.

'But she is believed to have been in a relationship with this man Wat.

'He had recently been released from prison and it is clear he was a prolific drug dealer. A very evil man.

'Wat was supplying her with drugs. Somehow Ben got involved with him. This is because the girl was involved.'

For days the whereabouts of the girl was unknown, but police in Thailand confirmed today that her body had been discovered buried in woodland just off the main north-south highway near Lampang.

Her parents and grandparents identified her body at the scene from the braces on her teeth and the jewelry she had been wearing. They broke down in tears when it emerged that their daughter had been murdered.

Police are now continuing to interrogate sex crimes convict Chaiwat Boongarin, 44, who allegedly admitted killing Ben but denies murdering Suraphltchaya, whose nickname was Ping Pong. He is likely to face the death penalty if convicted of either or both cases.

Steve also explained how earlier this week, just hours after flying to Thailand from the UK, he found himself face-to-face with Ben's alleged killer, a convicted child sex offender and drug dealer who was released from prison just eight months ago.

That bizarre encounter, which took place during a police reconstruction on Tuesday at the site where Ben is said to have been killed, saw Steve, who had only got off a plane a couple of hours earlier, shouting and swearing at Chaiwat Boongarin in front of TV cameras. The shocking drama of those few minutes has left him reeling.

'Usually I am very English and reserved about my emotions and my anger,' he says.

'But after spending that long flight from the UK thinking about my beloved Ben I was just grabbed by the throat by the situation. I used some terrible words. It just flowed out of me.'

But while he and Ben's mother are struggling to come to terms with the loss of their son, they are determined to understand what happened to him. They want to know the truth.

'I have a dead son who suffered horrific injuries,' he says. 'I don't need to know exactly how he died. But for his mother, the details are important. She needs to know what happened. This will give her closure.'

Ooy, who understandably struggles to speak without breaking down in tears, adds: 'For me, Ben was everything. He was my heart, my soul. I gave him all of me.'

This week MailOnline spoke to Thai police as well as the family of the girl, called Pong, in an attempt to piece together the events leading up to Ben's death.

Pong's family, speaking before her body was found, said that the young teenagers, who had known each other since they were toddlers, were at their home in the village of Banjua on Saturday evening.

'The last I saw of her was on Saturday night. Pong was here with Ben and then they got a phone call and they went off,' says Pong's grandfather, 60-year-old livestock farmer Charoon Annaeua.

Moments later the pair were captured on CCTV, riding a turquoise moped belonging to Ben's mother. It was the last time Ben and Pong were seen alive.

'When they didn't come back, I called her,' says her grandfather. 'The last time I called was at midnight on Saturday night.'

The following morning, a local recycler, collecting glass, plastic bottles and cans to sell along a twisting country lane less than four miles away from the village, spotted Ben's body and summoned the police. They believe he was murdered elsewhere by his killer who then tried to conceal the teen's body in bushes.

Pong's body has been sent for an autopsy to find traces of rape or sexual assault, police confirmed.