Rape accused leaves Thailand

A RUSSIAN pianist and conductor charged with raping a teenage boy has left Thailand, his housekeeper said yesterday.

Mikhail Vasillievich Pletnev was arrested at a restaurant on Monday in the beach town of Pattaya.

His housekeeper in Pattaya said Pletnev left on Wednesday night, heading for Moscow.

Pletnev was released on 300,000 baht (€7,160) bail following a court appearance in Pattaya on Tuesday and ordered to report to the court every 12 days.

He could face up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to 40,000 baht (€955) if he is found guilty.

Pletnev founded the Russian National Orchestra, the country’s first independent orchestra, after befriending Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev in 1988, and was its first principal conductor.