However, the defense counsel argued all the evidence against the defendants was circumstantial, and the police had no known eyewitness to the murders. [23] Local residents blocked the pier to prevent the unidentified killers from leaving the island. They had only been in the country for days before they were murdered. David worked as an intern in the St Helier offices of the Australian mining company Consolidated Minerals. Pathologists and legal experts criticised the police for mishandling the evidence, allowing contamination of the crime scene and failing to use experts to collect forensic evidence. (Facebook). Several forensic experts claimed the police collected forensic evidence from the scene dubiously and was not subject to independent oversight or verification. [64], Several CCTV cameras near the crime scene were reported to be nonfunctional, and cameras near the pier were not checked by the police. [71], A lawyer for the men, Nakhon Chomphuchat, said "we will appeal as soon as we can, we have just got a copy of the court's verdict. Two Burmese workers were sentenced to death in 2015,. Cat-and-mouse chase with China in hotly contested sea, Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. The island is known as a haven for scuba divers. That the victims were tourists automatically drew more attention, says Thai political analyst Saksith Saiyasombut. Human-rights groups expressed serious concerns. The defense lawyers urgently need both crucial information gained from the re-examination of forensic evidence in this case and also adequate time to consider this information prior to the trial beginning, said lead defense lawyer Nakhon Chomphuchat in a statement last month. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. Dabid had also suffered deep lacerations to his skull before drowning in the shallow surf. [7][12], Miller and Witheridge were last seen at a bar called AC Bar[13] with friends at a party on Sunday night with around 50 people mostly foreign tourists before they left together after 1am. Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk and David Miller, 24, of Jersey were bludgeoned to death with a wooden hoe as they walked back to their hotel room late at night. [63] They plead not guilty to the charge at the trial, but Wai Phyo changed his plea to guilty during the proceedings. RIP, Christian May (@christianrmay) September 15, 2014. These illegal workers often reside with friends on the island, making it difficult to identify them. The Daily Telegraph reports that the two were seen leaving a bar at around 1 a.m. Sky News reports that Witheridge had been traveling with three friends. [95] The mayor of the island, Chaiyan Turasakul, announced a new police station and staffed it with 40 full-time officers, compared to five previously. Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, a seaside town on the English east coast, had been raped and killed by blows to the head. In September 2014, the 23-year-oldUniversity of East Anglia graduate, who had been studying for a masters degree in speech and language therapy. How Did Steven Beirnes Die? The two men were convicted and sentenced in 2015 and the verdict was upheld by an appeals court in 2017 and the Supreme Court in August 2019. However, according to Rhys Bonney, an immigration adviser to expats in Thailand, even the legality of scuba-diving instructors is an extremely gray area as Thai work permits are specific to particular company premises. Ringed by coral gardens and teeming with kaleidoscope shoals of tropical fish, it was primarily known, until now, for its diving. Its also reported that Witheridge had been raped prior to her death, those reports were later found to be unfounded. The trial drew wide criticism from the international press and human rights groups. [52] The suspects were defended pro bono by two lawyers from the Lawyers Council of Thailand. Despite so many alleged loopholes in the investigation procedure, the court found Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo guilty of murder and sentenced them to death on December 24, 2015. Hannah Witheridge was a college student at the University of Essex and lived there, according to her Facebook page. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 22-year-old ethnic Rakhine from Burmas restive Arakan state, were arrested on Oct. 2. In September 2014, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller only met by chance while backpacking on the island, but when their bodies were found together on Sairee Beach, they would become linked forever by a tragic mystery. Hannah metDavid Miller by chance when they and their friends stayed in adjoining rooms of the Ocean View Bungalows, a small backpacker complex overlooking the white sand sweep of Sairee beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao. [7] Witheridge had completed undergraduate studies in education at the University of East Anglia and had started post-graduate studies in speech and language therapy at the University of Essex. It was said the pair went swimming on the same beach earlier that night, and when they got out of the water they found their clothes had disappeared. Mr Miller's family said they were "grateful" to the Thai king. Read about our approach to external linking. Miller, a year older and from Jersey, one of the U.K.s Channel Islands, had likewise suffered deep lacerations to his skull before drowning in the shallow surf. Witheridge is a native of Great Yarmouth in the Southwest coast of England. In general, tourists are almost comically unaware of this malevolent undercurrent. Then, most stupidly, the two suspects suddenly "admitted" to the crime, after having been found with bruises. The crimes brutality amid Koh Taos insular, backpacker charm caused an international sensation and threatened to further weaken a tourist industry already reeling from the military coup of May 22, 2014, which saw hundreds arbitrarily detained and draconian new controls imposed on freedom of speech and assembly. According to the prosecutors, the defendants used the garden hoe to knock Hannah unconscious and held her down as they raped her before murdering her. They took the victim away in a pickup truck and the barman just got a mop out and cleaned up the blood, he says. Thailand backpacker murders: David Miller and Hannah Witheridge - two lives cut short The two young tourists were killed in the early hours of 15 September, 2014, after which their relatives. Lin and Phyo (also known asWin Zaw Htun)were sentenced to death for the murder of Mr Miller and the murder and rape of Ms Witheridge. Hannah was also raped. Sean McAnna (25), from Shotts near Glasgow, was a friend of David Miller, the tourist whose body was found last week on Koh Tao island along with that of Hannah Witheridge. During the trial, the prosecution also claimed Davids stolen phone was discovered smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lins. There was so much he could be doing with his life, and having it cut short is unbelievably cruel. [51][56][57] They argued that the defendants, since they were vulnerable as illegal migrant workers, were scapegoated by the police for the crime. Analytical Services; Analytical Method Development and Validation Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have been named as the two tourists who chopped up by a hoe in Thailand. Both were. [14][22] The police moved the bodies to prevent them being swept up in the rising tide. [21][25] There was tearing present at the vulva, bruising on the perineum, and a bite mark on her right nipple. According to Kingsley Abbott, Southeast Asia legal expert for the International Commission of Jurists, The defense must be afforded adequate time and facilities to explore whether the alleged destruction of evidence in this case was appropriate and unavoidable, and to test the prosecution case overall.. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. A mute Burmese beach cleaner stumbled upon the bodies shortly after dawn the following morning on Sairee Beach, near Hannahs room A5 at Ocean View Bungalows. Her family described her asvivacious and someone who loved living.Hannah was due to return to her postgraduate Speech and Language Therapy course at Essex University after her summer break. The second man, Wai Phyo,[a] was believed to have left the island by boat the previous night. However, the death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment following a royal decree commemorating King Vajiralongkorns birthday. British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were killed in September 2014, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were convicted of the murders in a Thai court and originally sentenced to death, The bodies of Mr Miller and Miss Witheridge were found on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Their senseless deaths sparked international outrage and raised questions about justice on Koh Tao. Laura Daniels, 30, has died five years after sister Hannah, 23,. [1][51] According to an observer, the sittings lasted over ten hours each day. The balcony of room A5 at Ocean View Bungalows commands one of the finest vistas of Koh Taos sweeping Sairee Beach. [26][27] However, her clothes were not tested for DNA. The two men were convicted and sentenced in 2015 and the verdict was upheld by an appeals court in 2017 and the Supreme Court in August 2019. Both entered through the Ranong Province, allegedly without presenting themselves at a port of entry and without possessing a passport. Is climate change killing Australian wine? [1][96], Although tourist arrivals to Koh Tao dropped in the months immediately following the murders, there was little lasting effect on tourism to the island.[92]. The largest and most developed is Koh Samui, which also boasts the archipelagos only international airport. Write to Charlie Campbell at [email protected]. [1][15][21], During an hours-long interrogation, during which the police used Burmese food vendors as interpreters[35] because the pair could not speak Thai,[41] the suspects confessed to the murders. She was just a brilliant person, and she was just irreplaceable. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. Attempts to appeal the sentence failed, but a royal decree was issued by King Vajiralongkorn in 2020 commuting the death sentences to life imprisonment. Even though recent quasi-democratic reforms have seen an influx of tourist dollars and the rolling back of sanctions, that means little for the nations rural poor. 2023 BBC. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller's bodies were found on a beach in Koh Tao in September 2014 Two Burmese migrants convicted over the killings had their death sentences reduced to life. According to reports, both men were 22-year-old illegal migrant workers from Rakhine, Myanmar, who worked in the hospitality industry. On 15 September, the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao, between 4 and 5am, a few hours after their deaths. "[56] Attempts to appeal the sentence to the High Court in 2017 were unsuccessful. Drugs play a key role. However, the erstwhile national police chief denied the allegations of torture, although the police refused to cooperate with representatives of Thailands National Human Rights Commission attempting to investigate the serious allegations. Lin and Phyo (also known asWin Zaw Htun)were sentenced to death for the murder of Mr Miller and the murder and rape of Ms Witheridge. Hannah, 23, from Hemsby, Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found dead on the island of Koh Tao on September 15. After finally receiving independent legal counsel, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, who had no prior criminal records, claimed they had been tortured during interrogation and recanted.
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