The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. One thing I thought of during this episode is there needs to be some sort of DNA processing regulation, preferably independent of police departments/government agencies. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, What the Murder of Two British Tourists Tells Us About Thailand's Dark Side. Write to Charlie Campbell at charlie.campbell@time.com. Two Myanmar migrant workers sentenced to death in Thailand for the murder of two British backpackers had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, their lawyer said. Fact is scarier than fiction A community following Casefile: True Crime Podcast! A bloodstained garden hoe, which is thought to be the murder weapon, was discovered nearby, AFP reported. Thanks for that. Basically, Myanmar shares a border with Thailand and is considerably lower on the economic development index so a lot of labour, both legal and illegal, is done by Myanmar people inside Thailand. When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? Defense lawyers argued that DNA from a garden hoe allegedly used as a murder weapon did not match samples taken from the men. Mrs Daniels went on to qualify as a paediatric nurse and the pair were married in 2018. Read about our approach to external linking. 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, commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison, Harry: I always felt different to rest of family, Chris Rock talks Oscars slap in live Netflix show, Everything Everywhere wins big ahead of Oscars, Mbappe breaks PSG goal record in win over Nantes, PM to end asylum claims from small boat arrivals. Great episode but a tragic tale! The men said they didn't use a condom, even though police insisted they had. One of the things I like most about Casefile fans is the respect given to the victims and their families, which is not always the case with true crime fans. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Lt Gen Panya, appointed assistant national police chief earlier this week authorities had arrested three immigrant migrant workers. Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. Coming just four months after a coup had installed a military junta in power, the case quickly became a litmus test of the new government's commitment to fighting crime. Later that month, graduate Christina Annesley, 23, was said to have died of natural causes after mixing antibiotics she was taking for a chest infection with alcohol. The pair - who now face death by lethal injection - were even forced to re-enact the murders after their apparent confessions. Yeah, it was a but suspicious given they had the phone and there was apparently DNA evidence. If you have already listened to the episode, you can submit your rating at the Casefile Ratings Form. But nobody familiar with Thailands feeble justice system is surprised by that. Ms Witheridge had been raped and Mr Miller had been. Thai police admitted to moving Mr Miller's body, ostensibly to prevent it from washing away. Mrs. Daniels had been seriously ill, said the family statement confirming that she passed away on Sept. 16. But there were also fears the. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, The bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Koh Tao, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo - seen at court today - now face execution, Supporters of the pair have always maintained their innocence, Tourists take pictures on the island of Koh Tao, Thailand, The pair were forced to do a re-enactment of the murders after confessing, Ms Witheridge, 23, had been raped and bludgeoned to death, The Brits were killed as they walked back to their hotel, Forensics team search for clues after the shocking murders in 2014, Murderers of Brit backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller to be EXECUTED after losing last-ditch appeal in Thai court, Putin's thugs close in on ravaged Ukrainian city with thousands fleeing as intense fighting rages, Partygate buster Sue Gray's son 'boasting about mum on campaign trail as he tries to unseat Boris Johnson', Suella Braverman vows to stop the boats with new law to crack down on migrants using human rights laws to stay in UK, Runaway mum Constance Marten was 'groomed' by evil Nigerian sect leader, Man 'naked and covered in blood' arrested before mum found 'murdered' at home as neighbours reveal hearing screams, Rishi Sunaks new bill to end the Channel migrant crisis is crucial for the Tories, Leicester 'explosion': Listen to massive 'sonic' boom that shook homes and rattled windows. Two weeks ago, Hannah Witheridge was raped. Or, for the IPA-inclined, '/k/ /taw/'. And wasnt the English guy that was an initial suspect found with a blood stained guitar? In a statement, Miss Witheridge's family said their daughter had been "taken from us in the most horrific way possible" and learning of her death had been an "indescribably impossible time". The trial of the two Burmese migrant workers was also plagued by accusations of human rights abuses. Ms Witheridge, who was doing a post-graduate speech and language therapy course at the University of Essex, was travelling with three female friends and had only arrived on Koh Tao, or Turtle Island, three before her death. being a glottal stop). The thing that struck me about this episode was the guitar. Given the handling of the case, its pretty clear that Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo definitely didnt do it. Colonel Cherdpong also said that his department had not investigated rumours of a fight between Ms Witheridge and the son of a powerful Koh Tao politician on the night of the killings. Thailand on Tuesday announced plans to give tourists wristbands carrying their personal details and install more surveillance cameras and better lighting in major tourist areas. All times AEDT (GMT +11). 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. Con Jovelle Balani, Byron Charnonneau, Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk, Daniel Cifuentes. But their confession was, itself, confused. Killed in Thailand: British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones. With Jovelle Balani, Byron Charnonneau, Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk, Daniel Cifuentes. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Grieving: Hannah Witheridge's family at the headquarters of the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok last year.Credit:Reuters. Doubts about the case against the migrants - and the underlying mystery of who killed the tourists - have only deepened since the trial began in early July. The defense appeals were exhausted in August and a royal pardon or commutation of the death sentence by the Thai king is the last chance for a pardon. 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. The bodies of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found on a beach on Koh Tao in September 2014. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Then, just a few days later, a lawyer for the men insisted that the confession was false: the police had beaten it out of them. The bodies of Ms Witheridge, 23, and Mr Miller, 24, were found on the island of Koh Tao in September 2014 with severe head injuries. Shortly after arresting the men, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, Thai officials had them perform a bizarre public re-enactment of the crimes. Two Myanmar men accused of murdering two British holidaymakers David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, in Thailand will go on trial on Wednesday in a case that caused outrage in Britain and raised questions about the competence of the Thai police and the treatment of migrant labourers. 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. Privacy Policy. A summary of the appeal by the 'Koh Tao Two' against conviction and the death sentence for the murders of British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller appears to totally demolish a sloppy prosecution case in the controversial trial in Thailand. Today it emerged that two men had confessed to killing the pair. "Our thoughts are also with the Witheridge family and the tragic loss of their daughter. 18:37 GMT 11 Aug 2021. Hannah was also raped in the attack in September 2014. In a statement they said a memorial was planned near Plemont Bay on the north coast of Jersey later this month. Casey just wanted to come up with his own pronunciation of the Thai locations, but they're no more incorrect than the widely-accepted English mispronunciations of the places. The men alleged that they had been tortured by the police, and legal teams claimed that the evidence was . Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 22, initially confessed to the killings but later retracted their statements, saying they had been tortured. All in all, this case made me reconsider ever going to Thailand, if I ever thought of doing that. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? She screams, he panics, so he hits her multiple times with the hoe to make her shut up - not rage as much as fear and desire to stop her screams. The names of the tourists were first announced in a Sky News tweet. Specially how their entire investigation depended entirely on their DNA evidence, which honestly, sounded like it either was completely made up or staged. 'No one knows' what caused the death of Laura Daniels, 30, of Norfolk, despite extensive investigations, her family was told at a hearing in Winchester, Hampshire on Wednesday. Their sentences will be reduced to life in prison after a royal clemency decree was issued on Friday, said their lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat. "We have the footage, but we never checked it," Police Colonel Cherdpong Chiewpreecha admitted in court, drawing gasps from those in attendance, Sky News reported. My bets are that it was someone belonging to the Thai mafia. Edit: Just heard him pronounce the Thai king's name at the end of the episode. Or should Thai law not have this' Is it the case that we should release all people when pressured'," a visibly angry Prayuth told reporters before boarding a plane to the southern province of Surat Thani.Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 22, were found guilty by a Thai court on Thursday of killing Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, whose . A few days later, staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind. David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, didn't know each other before they met on holiday in Thailand in September. The case of Witheridge and Miller has, once again, laid bare the dichotomy between Thailands palm-fringed islands and dark underbelly immortalized in Alex Garlands 1996 dystopian novel The Beach. Last month, the translators, who were used to obtain the now retracted confessions, admitted in court that they were roti (pancake) vendors who barely understood Thai and spoke little Burmese, the Myanmar Times reported. The case attracted widespread media attention in the UK at the time. On September 16, 2019 she was found unresponsive in hospital shortly after speaking to staff and was pronounced dead. A post-mortem examination was unable to determine a cause of death for Mrs Daniels, a paediatric nurse who lived in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Prosecutors said DNA evidence collected from cigarette butts, condoms, and the bodies of the victims linked Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun to deaths. Their bodies were found semi-naked and severely battered, and both had severe head wounds. But his mum believes he was mugged aswallet and watch were missing. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Ukraine soldiers shoot down enemy drones with drones of their own, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA. Mrs Witheridge who is separated from Miss Witheridge's father Tony Witheridge, 59, said . Not to defend the police on Koh Tao, but they arent even a real police station just a outpost. From the beginning, there were signs that the investigation was in trouble. Two of the suspects raped and killed Witheridge while another witnessed the murder, Thai police told the Bangkok Post. "The final admittance of their guilt has allowed this act of clemency to become possible," they continued. Hannah Witheridge & David Miller: British backpackers murdered in Thailand 2014 : r/CrimeScene 5 yr. ago Posted by GoreGirl89 NSFW Hannah Witheridge & David Miller: British backpackers murdered in Thailand 2014 imgur This thread is archived New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast 329 42 42 comments Top [deleted] 5 yr. ago The battered bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on a beach on the popular tourist island of Koh Tao in September 2014. .06. Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of murder in 2015. The influence of the king was on this occasion somewhat beneficial - they take the royal family so seriously that you can be sent to prison for writing even an oblique satire or parody of them. It's not always a call for help. Questions remain over how the pair got to the beach and what they were planning for the remainder of the evening. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. Grief: Relatives of David Miller and Hanna Witheridge hug . Grieving: Hannah Witheridge's family at the headquarters of the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok last year. With tourism critical to Thailand's economy, police. We have to look into the behavior of the other party [Witheridge and Miller] too, he said. Then came Friday's bombshell about the DNA on the bloody hoe. By the time dawn broke over Koh Tao, the beach had been transformed into a bloodbath. It is easy to see how/why the Thai police would want to pin this on them, but one part of their story that seemed odd to me was how they ended up with the cell phone. The existence of two weapons has made us believe that there are at least two attackers, the deputy national police chief, Police General Somyot Pumpanmuang, told reporters Monday. POLICE have finally made a breakthrough in the shocking murders of two British backpackers in Thailand, but mystery still surrounds the horrific discovery. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. The men have been charged with the murder of both Britons -- a charge which carries the death penalty. Video Unavailable Murdered British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller may have been in a row in a bar with a local gangster who tried to chat her up. On a human level, it's understandable why they would have these feelings considering the grief and emotional pain they've gone through, but at the same time, judges, juries, and prisons exist for a reason. dtao' (the ? The trial is expected to conclude this month. Yet, that case has also been disintegrating. Their sentences have been reviewed to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday and to show his "clemency". Sexual assault and rape, much of it unreported, bedevil Koh Phangans world famous full-moon parties. . They added: "Along with her bubbly and exciting personality Hannah was extremely intelligent and, after earning a degree with first-class honours from the University of East Anglia, was working towards a masters degree in speech and language therapy in Essex. A royal decree said the sentences had been reviewed to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday on 28 July and to "illustrate the king's clemency". However, given the inconsistencies in the investigation, doubt is likely to remain no matter the verdict. The authorities scoured its jungles for suspects as islanders blocked the ferry to prevent the murderers' escape. Hannah Witheridge & David Miller: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. , updated (Facebook). But Thailand's Supreme Court upheld the convictions. A post-mortem examination showed she had been raped. The family of murdered backpacker Hannah Witheridge has been hit by a fresh tragedy with the sudden death of her sister. But the trial recently heard that a garden hoe alleged to have been used in the killings carried the DNA of two men, but there was no trace of either defendant. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. The University of Essex student and her male compatriot David Miller, formerly of University of Leeds, were subsequently murdered. Their bodies were discovered on a beach on the popular resort island of Koh Tao in September 2014. We have discussed it with hotel operators and they are willing to do it, he said. Around three weeks ago, on September 15, their bodies were found together . Mr Miller's family said they were "grateful" to the Thai king. Jacob Thorburn For Mailonline, 'You lose one daughter, you don't expect to lose another': Mother of murdered British backpacker Hannah Witheridge, 23, tells of heartache after her other daughter, 30, dies in hospital while pregnant, Risking their lives for a tan: Sunbathers are pictured lying feet from scene of major rock fall that hit the beach over the weekend, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, TN residents say Jack Daniel's distillery spews black mold, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' However, no toxicology report was conducted. The two workers from Myanmar, wearing helmets and handcuffs, during a re-enactment of the alleged crime. Also the two have no criminal history which seems unlikely they'd suddenly transform into vicious murderers and rapists - usually there is a history of violence. To use auto build you need to . Crowds of onlookers watched as the suspects were led to the rocky alcove along the shore where the two bodies were discovered. 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 on September 15, 2014, on the popular Sairee Beah. Frenchman Dimitri Povse, 29, was found hanged in a bungalow on the island on New Year's Day 2015. It was not immediately clear how many prisoners could receive pardons or reduced sentences based on the different criteria listed in the decree. 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. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Their bodies were found close to the beach bungalows where they had been staying. 'No one knows, and that must be one of the hardest things for families and friends - for a young person to die and for despite all the investigation, all the inquest process we end up simply not knowing.'. If anything happens to them we will then know their names, nationality and hotel, said Arnuparp Gaesornsuwan, director general of the Department of Tourism told AFP. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. He described the impact the tragic murder of Miss Witheridge had on the family, and how Mrs Daniels 'spearheaded the fight for justice for her sister'. That's not how being suicidal works! It doesnt seem like the two convicted of the murder actually committed it, but that leaves wiide open the question of who is actually attacking + murdering backpackers on this island, and why?! He said the plan would be rolled out soon on popular resort islands such as Koh Tao and Koh Phangan and also the tourist beach area of Pattaya. Whilst I dont believe the correct murderers were charged, please do not quote the woman who wrote the book. Killed in Thailand: British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. - Listen to Case 236: Sophie Lionnet by Casefile True Crime instantly on your tablet, phone or browser - no downloads needed. Putting names to archive photos, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, In photos: India's disappearing single-screen cinemas. Laura was being treated at the hospital. Mr and Mrs Miller, from St Helier, said: "Every moment we miss our son. The killings roiled Koh Tao, a 2000-hectare island buoyed by tourism. vanished from her hostel on Koh Tao in mid-February - sparking a police search, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). By --- Nar It was a year ago that the bodies were discovered on the beach: nearly naked, their blood mixing with the morning surf. The two workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, were sentenced to death for the murder of David Miller and the murder and rape of Hannah Witheridge, whose bodies were discovered on a beach on the popular tourist island of Koh Tao in September 2014. In a heartfelt statement read out by the coroner, her husband Lewis Daniels said: 'Laura was an incredible young lady who had so much desire to continue making the most of her life whilst having to deal with adversity very few people across the world will ever have to experience.'. Two Burmese workers were sentenced to death in 2015,. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Myanmar men withdrew their first confessions to the crimes, saying that they were tortured by the police. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Miss Witheridge's family paid tribute to their "beautiful Hannah". "The death penalty sentence against the two accused and their conviction should be reversed and quashed," Andy Hall, an adviser to the two men's legal team, said ahead of their appeal. First, Thai police admitted in court that they never bothered to check CCTV footage of a boat leaving from a nearby pier just an hour after the killings. "We're confident we have a very high chance of finding the suspects," the senior police officer said. Copy and paste it. It is still unclear what prompted the killings. Llam demasiado la atencin? Also, ugly people are safe in Thailand but Burmese people are not.