A mute Burmese beach cleaner discovered the bodies shortly after dawn the following morning at Ocean View Bungalows. His dad, Ian Miller, said, Its quite likely David was stepping in to assist a girl in trouble. 2023 BBC. The only items still available for retesting were objects found around the crime scene, including the suspected murder weapons, but one witness claimed that these had been washed. Case 220: Hannah Witheridge & David Miller. V z 2014 23let absolventka University of East Anglia, kter studovala magistersk titul v oboru logopedie. These samples purportedly match those retrieved from Witheridges corpse. Taupin was ultimately not allowed to testify by the defence, and these issues were not raised by the defence until their closing statement. Witheridge was a graduate from the University of East Anglia who had been studying for a masters degree in speech and language therapy. A garden hoe and wooden club found nearby were quickly fingered as the principal murder weapons. "We hope that these two murderers will now spend a very, very long time in jail where they cannot harm other families and will have time to reflect on the consequences of their acts.". Powered by WordPress.com VIP. People come to Thailand to get away from it all. It has over 100 hotels and resorts and was deemed the busiest diving centre in Southeast Asia in 2014. [11][19] Several other suspects were also named, amid pressure to produce results, a new one every other day. Both entered through the Ranong Province, allegedly without presenting themselves at a port of entry and without possessing a passport. Laura Daniels, 30, died in hospital on Monday just five years and one day. [33][34] Over 200 individuals on the island, many of them migrant workers, were tested in mass DNA testing. The Koh Tao murders involved the death of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014. The island of Koh Tao is located in Southern Thailand. [49] Wai Phyo was also charged with stealing Miller's phone. +(91)-9821210096 | paula deen meatloaf with brown gravy. In a wildly controversial move, the police forced the suspects to re-enact the murder in front of the media a move condemned by legal experts as prejudicing a fair hearing. 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. In September 2014, the 23-year-oldUniversity of East Anglia graduate, who had been studying for a masters degree in speech and language therapy. [59] The defence struggled to find members of the public willing to testify at the trial, as many feared retribution,[1][60] hence their alibi was not considered convincing by the court. But come on. Sean McAnna, 25, has fled the island of Koh Tao after claiming he knows who was responsible for the murders of Hannah Witheridge and his friend, David Miller. When the authorities were unable to pin the crime on migrant workers, they turned their attention toward Western tourists related to the victims. [48][35] A 900-page police report was produced to guide the prosecution's case, but the defence were not allowed to see the report until the trial began. The bodies of Mr Miller and Miss Witheridge were found on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao in 2014. [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. Credit: British Foreign Office That's when the killers pounced. Thailand backpacker murders: bar workers found guilty of killing British tourists, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. [67][21][68] The conviction was primarily guided by the DNA evidence,[67][69] and the court said it did not consider their confessions in making the judgement. Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were murdered on the Thai island of Koh Tao in September 2014. The children always loved her. Wai Phyo says officers removed his clothes and left him naked in a freezing room for 20 minutes. One of his former teachers,Alan Hamel, reminisced, He was a young man of enormous potential and particularly a talented artist. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller's bodies were found on a beach in Koh Tao in September 2014. As the investigation continues and new evidence emerges, it seems that the . [61], On July 10, the court ordered the DNA to be retested. mi.) Some sources also refer to Wai Phyo as Win Zaw Htun. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Theories abound on Koh Tao about who killed Miller and Witheridge. (Police deny these allegations.). The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. He was returning from a placement in Australia when he stopped in Thailand for a holiday with a friend. Cat-and-mouse chase with China in hotly contested sea, Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. 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. On tiny Koh Tao alone, there are some 2,000 expats alongside the 2,500 registered Thais, according to Mayor Chaiyan Turasakul. [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. Dilleen Hempel Murder: Who Killed Her? She was just a brilliant person, and she was just irreplaceable. David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, didn't know each other before they met on holiday in Thailand in September. A CCTV video of a woman running near the scene is described but not . Both were. [92], Thailand's government became concerned the murders may affect tourism to the country. [76], The International Commission of Jurists said "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." "[78] Another commentary in the paper stated that the "overwhelming public skepticism stems from the police's longstanding notoriety for arresting poor and powerless scapegoats to save rich criminals who can afford to buy their innocence". [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. News reports stated officers rounded up200 alleged suspects, most migrant workers, and used mass DNA testing. [1][4][24] Witheridge's body indicated she had been raped. 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. Its also reported that Witheridge had been raped prior to her death, those reports were later found to be unfounded. This was very different. Koh Tao murders, which created an international frenzy when two young British tourists, Hannah Witheridge, and David Miller, were found murdered in September 2014. Like the Millers, the Witheridge family initially offered no comment on worries about a miscarriage of justice after the arrested men said they had been tortured to extract confessions. [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. Their senseless deaths sparked international outrage and raised questions about justice on Koh Tao. Two Burmese workers were sentenced to death in 2015,. They said Wai Phyo found the mobile phone dropped on the beach, and so he kept it. Wai Phyo, a Real Madrid fanatic who idolizes FIFA world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo, moves a virtually hairless top lip as he talks. Since then, he had managed to send back almost $2,000 to help his destitute family. Home; Service. The names of the tourists were first announced in a Sky News tweet. The trial drew wide criticism from the international press and human rights groups. Their sentences have been reviewed to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday and to show his "clemency". The head of the country's Central Institute of Forensic Science found that the DNA on the hoe did not match the defendants. Over the coming weeks we hope to gain a better understanding as to how such a wonderful young man lost his life in such idyllic surroundings in such a horrible way, said Millers family in a statement at the opening of the trial. They toil in slavelike conditions for pitiful wages in occupations typically described as 3-D dirty, dangerous, degrading. 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. They were at the bar with around 50 people mostly foreign tourists before they left together after 1:00 am. Read about our approach to external linking. Sean . 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. Hannah Witheridge pictured on Facebook back in September 2013. Photograph: PA. Rights groups have said the pair were used as scapegoats by the . Zaw Lin, as pimply as any teen, chats eagerly of his love of Manchester United and star Portuguese winger Nani. The family said it had brought to a close a "lengthy and disturbing period" where activists on social media had attempted to influence justice in Thailand and public opinion elsewhere. The area plays host to a weekly beach party on Sunday nights. [1][11][18] A bloody hoe, believed to be the murder weapon, and a wooden club were found near the bodies,[19][4][14] along with three cigarette butts and a used condom. [80][81], The Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha, said "[foreign female tourists] think our country is beautiful and safe and they can do whatever they want, wear bikinis wherever they like. The exact area where there bodies were found was the village of Hat Sat Ri. 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. My father died when I was very young, says Zaw Lin, so l left school aged 8 and started helping my mother in the fields when I was 10. Facing worsening poverty, around two years ago he paid a broker 5,000 baht ($150) to transport him to Koh Tao, heartened by tales hed heard of fellow villagers who had eked out a successful living there. But it unraveled just as quickly. Powered by. That would be absolutely in his character.. Complaining about wrongdoing may invite official questions and demands for passports and documentation. 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. 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. Write to Charlie Campbell at [email protected]. Some work on fishing boats for years without seeing land, getting passed between trawlers, catching fish, squid and shrimp for American dinner tables. Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, a seaside town on the English east coast, had been raped and killed by blows to the head. Laura Daniels, 30, has died five years after sister Hannah, 23,. One of the three suspected individuals was identified as Mau Mau, a local living nearby. Is climate change killing Australian wine? The episode tries to deconstruct the complex case for the listeners as it narrates the incidents chronologically and questions several alleged incompetencies in the murder probe. [66], On 24 December 2015, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were found guilty of murdering Witheridge and Miller by the three judges, and were sentenced to death. With no leads or suspects, the police wildly speculated who the culprit might be as they alleged several individuals to be the supposed killer without any evidence. 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. Traditional longtail boats, a rainbow of scarves adorning their bows, bob on the lapping water of the glistening bay. By the time dawn broke over Koh Tao, the beach had been . Little wonder the conversational staple of many long-term expats is, These are the worst Thais in Thailand.. But many have concerns that the scene was contaminated immediately after the discovery of the bodies; myriad officials, journalists and even bewildered tourists were seen traipsing through the area while evidence was still being gathered.
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