The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Their bodies were found on a beach on the island of Koh Tao last September. [87][88] The protests angered Thailand's prime minister, who believed the demonstrations were a plot "instigated" to hurt the government. The families of Miss Witheridge and Mr Miller are now returning to the UK. The DNA analysis in the case, which was not subject to independent oversight or verification, was provided to the court as a one-page summary with four supporting pages, some of it handwritten with amendments. by potty Thu Oct 09, 2014 2:52 am, Users browsing this forum: Google Feedfetcher, Newinkow, phuketrichard, yong and 69 guests. The Mirror's Ariane went to see what all the fuss is about, Attacker tries to smash into house as cops 'blame football' for delay in 999 response, A householder who sheltered a woman from the man she claimed attacked her on the street claims police blamed Sunday's Wembley cup final for the time taken to respond to her 999 call, King Charles evicted Harry and Meghan 'just 24 hours after Spare was released', King Charles reportedly began the eviction process a day after Prince Harry's book Spare hit the shelves. [51][56][57] They argued that the defendants, since they were vulnerable as illegal migrant workers, were scapegoated by the police for the crime. They said in a family statement: 'We confirm that our beautiful girl Laura passed away on Monday, September 16. [1][47] The national police chief, Somyot Poompanmoung, denied that torture was involved in the confessions. A British male, thought to have known the two, was named as a person of interested and hunted by police after allegedly fleeing the island on an early ferry for Bangkok. A CCTV video of a woman running near the scene is described but not released. They beat Ms Horton, raped her, and threw her into the sea where she drowned. But they were found innocent by an all white jury. I shall post a link to your podcast on my Facebook page. Defence lawyers had asked for the samples to be independently verified but have now been told there is nothing left of them to re-test. She sympathised with Hannah's family for their suffering over her 'tragic and unnecessary loss'. He was found hiding on the boat later on 2 October. 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. Police in Thailand investigating the murder of two British backpackers suspect they were killed by two fishermen who then fled in a boat as CCTV images showing the couples last fateful movements in Koh Tao came to light last night. Phyo (left) and Lin (right) were planning to appeal for a royal pardon to Thailand's king. Their findings were never made public, but were shared with the families of the victims. Very gruesome, theres one photo of his parents looking at him in the coffin and I really cant imagine what they mustve felt knowing theyd lost their son, he was murdered for nothing, and the horrible thing they were looking at was him. After the attack they swam to their boat and boasted to their colleagues. Thai police take DNA swabs and footprints of migrant workers yards from the scene of the murder of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on the island of Koh Tao. She achieved so much and had so much more ahead of her. Hannah Witheridge seen looking relaxed and wandering streets with . [23] Local residents blocked the pier to prevent the unidentified killers from leaving the island. But they have another dark side to them. After unsuccessfully trying to find their possessions, they walked towards Mau Mau's house through the shortcut, which resulted in them being caught on CCTV. A local Western businessman though, who did not want to be named, criticised the police for allowing the boats to leave. Police say it could be of a witness to the double murder, a suspect or of Miss Witheridge herself. Who is Constance Marten, the runaway aristocrat? The police investigation and criminal trial were widely criticised by international media, human rights organisations, and legal experts. [37] Two weeks after the bodies were found, on 1 October 2014, police interrogated Mau Mau, who said he took the motorcycle and separated from the other two men before the murders occurred, and found them both home asleep by the time he had returned. They had been brutally beaten to death just a few feet away from their hotel rooms. [15] Some migrants who were questioned complained that officers scalded them with boiling water during interrogations, allegations which were denied by the police. Prior to your posting to Thailand you must have received a report of this country in terms of its corruption, poverty, murder and crime rates. Their bodies were found at 6am. 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. Can dementia be spotted in CHILDHOOD? [28], Due to concerns the murders might affect foreign tourism into Thailand, the national authorities sought to expedite the investigation into the murders. [51], The prosecution also claimed the defendants entered the country in violation of the Immigration Act of 1979. [42][43] Early police reports said Miller's mobile phone was also found in Zaw Lin's home,[44][45] although the media had previously reported the phone was handed to police by a friend of the victim. What's he waiting for? Zaw Lin was said to have entered between 2011 and 2012, and Wai Phyo in 2012. Hannah Witheridge 2014; The Student Room and The Uni Guide are both part of The Student Room Group. Hannah Witheridge & David Miller. It will take a bit of time to find loopholes to appeal. 2040 / 2557", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Koh_Tao_murders&oldid=1135707447, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 10:00. Two weeks later, two illegal Burmese migrant workers were blamed for the deaths, primarily on the basis of DNA evidence, and confessed following an hours-long interrogation. At 1.26am he is recorded walking from the club, and returns at 1.57am. The discovery of the bodies last September sparked a major police investigation and intense local and international pressure to find those responsible. They were arrested and tried and identified by Till's uncle. 806 8067 22 Registered Office: Imperial House, 2nd Floor, 40-42 Queens Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3XB, Taking a break or withdrawing from your course, http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/thailand-police-parade-burmese-killers-of-hannah-witheridge-and-david-miller-in-front-of-cameras-on-koh-tao-30635263.html, http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2014-10-03/funeral-of-murdered-leeds-university-student/, Does LSE take interview for its course in masters in management, Official UCL 2023 Undergraduate Applicants Thread, Official Dental Hygiene and Therapy (Oral Health Science) 2023 Entry Thread, The Pupillage Interview/Acceptance/Rejection Thread 2023 Watch, St George's University of London (SGUL) A101 2023 Entry, Official Oxford 2023 Postgraduate Applicants Thread, Barts and the London (QMUL) A100 2023 Entry, Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2023 Entry, TSR Community Awards 2022: Favourite Oldie - VOTING OPEN, TSR Community Awards 2022: Member with the Best Avatar - VOTING OPEN, Official University of Glasgow 2023 Applicant Thread, Official Cambridge Postgraduate Applicants 2023 Thread, Andrew Tate arrested for human trafficking, Barts and The London (QMUL) Dentistry 2023 Entry. She was dedicated, ambitious and would have made an amazing difference to the lives of many families through her chosen career as a Speech and Language Therapist. Kick-off time and live stream details, Arsenal can pull five points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League title race with a win over Everton, but Sean Dyche's men will provide a stern test for the Gunners, Why isn't Liverpool vs Wolves on Sky Sports or BT Sport? I just listened to your full podcast about Koh Tao with considerable interest. Friends told police that Hannah, from Great Yarmouth, and David, from Jersey, left the club together between 3am and 4am. Need advertising? Video, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, Prince Andrew offered Frogmore Cottage - reports, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, Man survives 31 days in jungle by eating worms, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Bieber cancels remaining Justice world tour dates, Eli Lilly caps monthly insulin costs in US at $35, Kobe Bryant widow wins $29m settlement from LA, Ruling party wins Nigeria's presidential election. [38] Both men were 22-year-old illegal migrant workers from Rakhine, Myanmar, who worked in the hospitality industry. 48 TheVeneficus 5 yr. ago Rocio Gomez; The two men deny murdering Miss Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey. The same year Russian tourist Valentina Novozhyonova , 23, vanished from her hostel along with her diving gear. Samyak Choudhary; and Could you please describe them? VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Barcroft David William Miller and Hanna Victoria Witheridge In a speech broadcast live on Thai TV yesterday, he said: There are always problems with tourist safety. You are the British Consulate in Thailand. A lot of expats have both lived and worked in Cambodia and Thailand, and this area is a place to discuss all aspects of life in Thailand and what's going on there. They had been bludgeoned to death. Police and court systems were hacked or taken offline in the following days, and a stash of personal information obtained from the court's servers was posted publicly. September 17: Thai police admit they have 'no idea' who killed David Miller and Hannah Witheridge after failing to link any of 12 suspects to the crime. The prosecution says a DNA match between samples found on Miss Witheridge's body and the two defendants is central to its case. Christopher and James Ware were stopped at Suvarnabhumi International airport on their way back to Britain for questioning. David Miller 2014; The fact that people e-mailed her family the photos while pretending to be Nikki was enough. A pro-bono legal team defending the men has said evidence collected by police was unreliable and not in accordance with internationally accepted standards, arguing it should not have been used to convict them. The Ultimate Cambodian Currency Guide 2022: RIEL. [74], The investigation was met with criticism by international media, human rights groups, and legal experts. "The past three weeks have been unimaginably difficult and there are no words that can adequately describe the heartache and despair that our family is experiencing. Many raised concerns that contamination cast doubt upon the forensic evidence: officials, journalists and tourists were seen walking around the crime scene, and Thai police did not use trained or independent specialists to collect forensic evidence. Oil City, PA (16301) Today. ", Mrs Miller said: "It's been hard, very hard. [62] They were both also charged with entering the country illegally, to which Wai Phyo had already confessed. Its a farce.. Samples were taken from nine migrant workers and three foreigners including two brothers from Jersey who were friends of David Miller. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. But last month their final appeal against their conviction was dismissed by the Supreme Court in Thailand which ruled that the forensic work was handled by respectable institutions and there was no proof of torture. Tony Witheridge bowed his head as bloody images. 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. The murders sullied Thailand's image in the tourism industry, which accounts for about 10 percent of the country's economy. In a hastily convened press conference in Bangkok today, Prayut said: 'I'm sorry that it hurt people. Following the murders, Koh Tao earned the nicknamed of 'death island' due to the number of western tourists who have died or gone missing there. ', By Thailand is Cambodia's neighbor to the West, and this forum is dedicated to Thai news, stories, reviews, blogs, videos, Thai people and anything else related to the country. Typically you won't see crime scene pictures on there, especially ones this brutal. "We beg that Hannah and David are afforded privacy and dignity through the removal of these pointless and insensitive reminders," they said. Two years after her sister was murdered, Laura wrote a Facebook postwarning people not to travel to Thailand claiming Westerners are hated in the country. 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. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered once more. It is suggested David Miller was killed with a blunt piece of metal and not the rusty garden hoe first discovered at the scene and named as a murder weapon. Laura Daniels, 30, died in hospital on Monday just five years and one day after her sister Hannah, 23, and fellow traveller David Miller, 24, were murdered on a beach in Thailand. Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' Five days since the . DeSantis won't say he's running. [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. She appeared at the Norfolk Safer Community Awards (NOSCAs) in Norwich in 2016 when a new award was presented in memory of Hannah acknowledging the work of police family liaison officers. Read about our approach to external linking. [10], Witheridge and Miller travelled and arrived on the island separately on 25 August. David and Hannah are just two of ten western tourists who are known to have been killed, died in suspicious circumstances, or gone missing on Koh Tao since 2012. by Soi Dog Thu Oct 09, 2014 2:35 am, Post 'The pain of this loss is indescribable and our family very much need time and privacy during this unbearable time.'. "Our family have been further traumatised by reports that there are numerous unnecessary and senseless photographs circulating across the internet. [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. [46] The police then forced the suspects to re-enact the murder in front of media,[34] a move condemned by legal experts as prejudicing a fair hearing. His parents believe he was murdered. Later it transpires there is evidence of one man's DNA on the cigarette, and of two men in the victim's body. Harry and Meghan only lived at Frogmore Cottage for six months before moving to California, Mysterious 'heartbeat' solar flare coming from thousands of miles above the sun's surface, Experts at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) detected one signal about 3,100 miles above the molten surface of the our sun, and believed it's produced by a C-class solar flare, Blind dad forced to sell mops on street to feed kids gets 99,000 from complete strangers, Sebastian Ibanez, from Mesa in Arizona, US, sold $6 mops and brooms on the street to help his wife, who has cancer, and his three children. Say it could be of a woman running near the scene is described but released. 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