Tony Witheridge bowed his head as bloody images of his daughter's body were shown on the third day of the trial of Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo. In 2014, Koh Tao was the site of the brutal double murders of two British backpackers, but theirs weren't the only suspicious backpacker deaths. Bernd had also recently separated from his wife, Oey, a Koh Tao native, with whom he had a seven-year-old daughter, Bene, who had been living for the last two years with his sister, Monica, in Germany. Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. Police concluded she wanted to break a deep-diving record at more than 24 meters. Attempts to appeal the sentence failed, but a royal decree was issued by King Vajiralongkorn in 2020 commuting the death sentences to life imprisonment. Phone records showed that Elise called her mother on Skype on April 17, 2017, before leaving Koh Phangan on a Ferry on April 19. Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones. [39] Following an interrogation, during which police say Zaw Lin admitted he had entered the country illegally, Zaw Lin was arrested and his clothes and motorcycle were seized as evidence. [74], The investigation was met with criticism by international media, human rights groups, and legal experts. [31] They focused on foreign nationals, with a spokesperson for the police claiming "Thais wouldn't do this". What really happened there? They believed he had accidentally drowned and he was thought to have been dead for around 12 hours when his body was retrieved. [67] Protesters called for the release of the two suspects, who they believed were innocent and scapegoated for the crime. Verdicts in the case are not expected until October. [31] Media reports speculated that was because the defence was wary of calling on foreign experts fearing it could appear as undermining the Thai justice system, and could bias the judges against their case. They stated they were driven by a desire to rape the victim following sexual arousal when they saw the couple kissing on the beach. Once youve been living there for a while, youll turn a blind eye to some pretty sketchy stuff, says Mike Earley, 30, from New Zealand, who spent six months on the island working as a DJ. Irregular Burmese migrant workers were now required to register with the police in an attempt to discourage illegal workers and prevent bribery. They had been brutally beaten to death just a few feet away from their hotel rooms. All times AEDT (GMT +11). The father of murdered British backpacker Hannah Witheridge has wept as graphic photos of her body lying on a Thai beach were shown in court. [42] In the trial, the prosecution said the phone was found smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lin's. Miller had scratches on his back and water in his lungs indicating drowning. [42][48] Amnesty International stated that Thailand "must initiate an independent, effective and transparent investigation into mounting allegations of torture and other ill-treatment by police". Also, he noted that the several pieces of rope which were used in the suspected suicide appeared to be different which might suggest that the death was not caused by suicide. In August 2020, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo had their death sentences commuted to life in prison to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday and to show his "clemency". Michelle, who says the death would have gone unnoticed if not for her public appeal for help, said: "I do not believe what the police have told us. The hoe was then used to knock Witheridge unconscious, after which the defendants used force to hold her down and took turns raping her, before killing her with the hoe. Direct quotations from the trial are unavailable, as the judges did not permit the public to take notes. SUPAPONG CHAOLAN DNA tests have failed to provide a match. A mistake that many forensic experts say jeopardized the entire investigation.Throughout the investigation and criminal trial, the Thai government and police were heavily criticized by human rights organizations, legal experts, and the media. [4], The victims of the murders were Hannah Witheridge, a 23-year-old from Hemsby, England, and David Miller, a 24-year-old from Jersey, a Crown Dependency. I should add that I was not representing the accused men so I am not presenting arguments on their behalf in any lawyer/client relationship. His parents believe he was murdered - despite police claims he fell 50ft and drowned. Hannah Witheridge 2014; The team were only allowed to spend two hours on Koh Tao and did not meet with the suspects or defence. The family has contested the police version of events. Photographs of the bodies . Prosecutors alleged that the double murder of Paul and Maggie was part of an effort by Murdaugh to gain sympathy and distract others from his significant financial crimes. [29][30] The police initially speculated about who the culprit might be, alleging various individuals of perpetrating the crime without clear evidence. A millionaire hotel tycoon and his wife have been found dead in a luxury resort on Koh Tao, colloquially known as Death Island. Her dad Boyne said a toxicology report was not carried out. The Koh Tao murders involved the death of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014. The items were still there are 3 am and he called the police. She was said to have died of natural causes after mixing antibiotics she was taking for a chest infection with alcohol. After searching, All rights reserved. Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool Diagram of crime scene. "Thai courts make little allowance for the feelings of relatives," he said. He originally moved to the island in the late 1990s but left in 2016 after becoming frustrated with the corruption and hostility towards foreign business owners. The murders on the popular dive island of Koh Tao drew intense media attention from across the world. A police officer told the trial of the severe injuries Miss Witheridge suffered and evidence she had been raped. Aran Klaewklong, a security guard from Big Blue Diving shop, told police he found a mobile phone, clothes, a hotel key, shoes and an ID on the beach at 1.30 am during a beach patrol. One of the men Mau Mau resided nearby. They had been brutally beaten to death just a few feet away from their hotel rooms. Ben Harrington 2012; Thai police claim Elise hung herself - but her devastated mother does not believe them, and thinks somebody else was involved. Eight days later locals living near Tanote Bay found Elise's body after becoming suspicious of a monitor lizard going back and forth into the jungle. The pictures, which News Corp Australia will not reproduce, were taken on the beach at Koh Tao, where the pair was hacked to death with a garden hoe, allegedly by two Burmese men who confessed to the bloody crime then withdrew their confessions. Defense lawyers for the two men later alleged that police had rushed the investigation to . The police quickly closed the inquiry, stating that he had drowned whilst swimming. The suspects were initially denied access to legal counsel, and alleged that police used torture and threats to secure a confession. [11][19] Several other suspects were also named, amid pressure to produce results, a new one every other day. The crime's brutality amid Koh Tao's insular, backpacker charm caused an international sensation and threatened to further weaken a tourist industry already reeling from the military coup of. The pictures, which News Corp Australia will not reproduce, were taken on the beach at Koh Tao, where the pair was hacked to death with a garden hoe, allegedly by two Burmese men who confessed to the bloody crime then withdrew their confessions. He had entered the country on September 26, 2018, before traveling to the island, where stayed at the Monsoon Gym and Fight Club. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Posted on June 2, 2022 by - pudingov kol kamily maglovejpudingov kol kamily maglovej We beg that Hannah and David are afforded privacy and dignity through the removal of these pointless and insensitive reminders. [85][15][86] Prayut said that British and Burmese government representatives were "limited to observation" and had to "respect our processes". Samui Times defended its reporting in an online post. She was part of the sect of the Sathya Sai Baba cult movement, and lived with a self-proclaimed "guru", and left the island on April 17 to return home. Pol Lt Gen Thanate Pinmuangngam, acting chief of Police Region 8, said In the Dallemagne case, the cause of death was suffocation. His body was found at the beach at the Hillside Resort on Koh Tao, on January 1, 2014. There were no signs of a struggle or rape or other human DNA. Elise's heartbroken mother, Michele van Egten, has now proclaimed she does not believe police account of events. 0. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, "This Septic Isle: Backpackers, Bloodshed and the Secretive World of Koh Tao", "Links revealed between police and migrants on Koh Tao", "Police: Still no suspect in killings of Britons on idyllic Thai island", "Thai king commutes death sentence of UK pair's killers", "Thailand: Hannah Witheridge 'raped by two men before being killed', "Thailand backpacker murders: David Miller and Hannah Witheridge - two lives cut short", "Thailand murders: Victims' families talk of senseless killings", "Hannah Witheridge's family pay tribute to "beautiful, intelligent, loving young woman", "British backpackers murdered in Thailand named as Hannah Witheridge and David Miller", "Thailand murders: Amnesty International call for police torture probe", Koh Samui Provincial Court No. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. We admit that in the past, there was a mafia there that took advantage of tourists. Nick Pearson, from Derby, was found floating in the sea on New Year's Day 2014. The Samui Times believes that it is in the best interests of any visitor to the island to be aware of the numerous tourist deaths and the fact that many families of those who died on the island are not satisfied with police investigations.. Graphic images showing the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on a beach in Koh Tao have been circulating online. While collecting forensic evidence, tourists and locals were allowed to walk on the beach. The families of Miss Witheridge and Mr Miller are now returning to the UK. He was found hiding on the boat later on 2 October. 2145/2559, "Two British tourists found dead on Thai island of Koh Tao", "Suspects in Thai Tourist Murders Face Dubious Trial", "Manhunt underway after brutal murder of 2 British tourists on Koh Tao", "Thailand's paradise island murder mystery", "What the Murder of Two British Tourists Tells Us About Thailand's Dark Side", "Thailand's Supreme Court upholds death penalty for men convicted of murdering British backpackers", "Koh Tao DNA evidence & international standards", "Thai court upholds death penalty for murder of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller", "Thailand backpacker murders: Burmese workers sentenced to death", "Thailand beach murders: A flawed and muddled investigation", "Koh Tao murders: DNA matches, confessions obtained, crime re-enacted", "Hearings Open Into Killings of Two British Tourists on Thai Island (Published 2014)", "Thai king commutes death sentence for Myanmar men in British tourist murder case", "Burmese men confess to killing British tourists on Koh Tao, Thai police say", "The Investigation Into Thailand's Backpacker Slayings Is Officially a Farce", "Migrants accused of murder of British couple in Thailand recant confessions", "Thai Dictator Faces Ire Over Murder Probe", "Koh Tao murder suspects plead not guilty", "Burmese pair to be executed for murder of British tourists on Koh Tao, Thailand", "2 Sentenced to Death in Killing of British Tourists in Thailand (Published 2015)", "Thailand murders: Two men found guilty and face death for UK killings", "Thai beach murders: Convicted men lose death sentence appeal", "Thai beach murders: Death sentence upheld by Supreme Court", "Backpacker's family 'grateful' for Thai king's clemency", "Koh Tao pair claim they were tortured before confessing", "Thai beach murders: DNA investigation into death of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller 'incompetent at best', "Koh Tao murders: suspects in killing of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge say they were framed", "Koh Tao's dark side: dangers of island where Britons were murdered", "Thai Paradise Gains Reputation as 'Death Island', "Foreign Office calls in Thai diplomat over murder inquiry concerns", "Thailand murder suspects can't have British police report: UK judge", "Thai officials on alert as Myanmar protests spread", "Prayut lashes out at Myanmar Koh Tao protestors", "Thailand's Migrant Worker Woes Exposed in Koh Tao Murder Case", "Govt vows "high-tech" defence against hackers", "Island killings prompt stiffer worker rules", "Contesting narratives: the Koh Tao tourists murders", "Unofficial translation of Koh Samui Provincial Court No. Been dead for around 12 hours when his body was retrieved stating that he had accidentally and! 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