As the investigation continues and new evidence emerges, it seems that the . So, if youre interested in finding out more about the case, including the perpetrators identities, heres what we know. [11] The two met in Koh Tao while staying at the same hotel. Their sentences have been reviewed to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday and to show his "clemency". [63] They plead not guilty to the charge at the trial, but Wai Phyo changed his plea to guilty during the proceedings. [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." Forensic evidence is processed independently in the U.S. or U.K. and many other jurisdictions around the world, safeguarding a proper chain of custody. The bodies of Mr Miller and Miss Witheridge were found on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao in 2014. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? "The final admittance of their guilt has allowed this act of clemency to become possible," they continued. On tiny Koh Tao alone, there are some 2,000 expats alongside the 2,500 registered Thais, according to Mayor Chaiyan Turasakul. [1][4][24] Witheridge's body indicated she had been raped. Miller had scratches on his back and water in his lungs indicating drowning. +(91)-9821210096 | paula deen meatloaf with brown gravy. 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. Court documents claimed David was killed while attempting to stop the defendants from murdering his friend. Photograph: PA The police were accused of buckling under pressure to solve a crime that attracted worldwide attention. [54] They argued that the defendants intended to kill Miller, using a hoe to hit him multiple times on the head. The murders of Witheridge and Miller sent shock waves through Thailand. [15] Experts have considered the forensic investigation to have been incompetent, and to have possibly framed the suspects. Naturally, a pall of silence engulfs this clannish, cliquey atoll, owing in no small part to the legal standing of its foreign contingent. Complaining about wrongdoing may invite official questions and demands for passports and documentation. [35][84] Despite not initially being permitted to assist with the investigation,[33] British police observers including homicide detectives from the Metropolitan Police and a forensics expert were eventually permitted into Thailand to observe the investigation. Drugs play a key role. They said Wai Phyo found the mobile phone dropped on the beach, and so he kept it. [29][30] The police initially speculated about who the culprit might be, alleging various individuals of perpetrating the crime without clear evidence. [1][15][16] Miller's body was found floating in the water, and Witheridge's on the beach;[17] the bodies lay approximately 20 metres apart and 30 metres away from their hotel (Ocean View Bungalows). [42] In the trial, the prosecution said the phone was found smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lin's. He was returning from a placement in Australia when he stopped in Thailand for a holiday with a friend. You have reached your limit of free articles. Hannah was also raped. [79] Rumours began to circulate, with residents on the island saying the island is controlled by a mafia who "have information about the true culprits", and claimed that the police is covering for them. For while the surf has washed the blood from the sand, and life returns to normal for the islands hodgepodge of wealthy and penniless inhabitants, one fact remains clear: not just the boulders hide secrets on Koh Tao. [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. Photograph: PA. Rights groups have said the pair were used as scapegoats by the . The second man, Wai Phyo,[a] was believed to have left the island by boat the previous night. 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. The largest and most developed is Koh Samui, which also boasts the archipelagos only international airport. Thailands tourist industry is already reeling from the effects of marital law. The experience was clearly a very difficult one, with relatives walking out at one point when the court was shown images of Witheridges body, and heard details of her injuries. These samples purportedly match those retrieved from Witheridges corpse. bubble tea consumption statistics australia. And the shambolic investigation also didnt help.. Friend of slain tourist flees over 'mafia' threat | Independent.ie Since then, he had managed to send back almost $2,000 to help his destitute family. The police found a garden hoe and a wooden club nearby, which were quickly determined as the principal murder weapons. The family of murdered backpacker Hannah Witheridge has been hit by a fresh tragedy with the sudden death of her sister. News reports stated officers rounded up200 alleged suspects, most migrant workers, and used mass DNA testing. Powered by. Witheridge is a native of Great Yarmouth in the Southwest coast of England. They had no prior criminal records. According to the BBC, staff from the British embassy left for Koh Tao soon after the news broke of the murders. (Police deny these allegations.). Defence lawyers claimed. The 24-year-olds parents, Ian and Susan, and his brother also travelled to Koh Tao to see the spot where the pair were killed, leaving mementos including a copy of a program for Millers funeral service, where mourners also wore colourful clothes, and his body was carried in a coffin covered in sunflowers.

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