Millers family also expressed confidence in the Thai judicial process, saying the evidence against the defendants seemed powerful and convincing. Their senseless deaths sparked international outrage and raised questions about justice on Koh Tao. He hailed fromJersey, a Crown Dependency, and graduated from Victoria College in 2008. [48], The guilty verdict resulted in widespread protests in Myanmar. A mute Burmese beach cleaner stumbled upon the bodies shortly after dawn the following morning on Sairee Beach, near Hannahs room A5 at Ocean View Bungalows. 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. One of his former teachers,Alan Hamel, reminisced, He was a young man of enormous potential and particularly a talented artist. Zaw Lin was not convicted of this charge because he held a work permit for the two years preceding the murders. 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. [61], On July 10, the court ordered the DNA to be retested. David worked as an intern in the St Helier offices of the Australian mining company Consolidated Minerals. [1], A defence team from Bangkok, composed of nearly 20 lawyers, were only permitted half an hour to meet the men; a request by the defence to delay the hearing and allow more time to prepare was denied by a judge at the Koh Samui Provincial Court. islands volcanic inception. Gruesome photos of the bloodied corpses circulated online, either leaked by officials or even taken by passersby. 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. [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. 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. However, the death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment following a royal decree commemorating King Vajiralongkorns birthday. Photograph: PA. Rights groups have said the pair were used as scapegoats by the . DNA testing of casual workers was introduced and many migrants complained of rough interrogations, with some claiming that they were scalded with boiling water. There were 362 U.K. citizens who met their end in Thailand in 2014, more so even than in France, which attracts almost 20 times as many British visitors. Mr and Mrs Miller, from St Helier, said: "Every moment we miss our son. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. But the seemingly idyllic paradise of Koh Tao, once known as Turtle Island, has turned from beauty to horror as a string of brutal murders and unexplained disappearances have rocked the community Their death sentences were reduced to life in prison after they were . So sad to hear that young man murdered in Thailand was Jerseyman David Miller. To be able to work on Koh Tao, illegal Burmese migrants paid a 500-baht ($15) bribe each month, plus another 500 baht if they want to use a motorbike without a Thai driving license. The largest and most developed is Koh Samui, which also boasts the archipelagos only international airport. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller's bodies were found on a beach in Koh Tao in September 2014 Two Burmese migrants convicted over the killings had their death sentences reduced to life. This is the wild west.. Sky News reports that Miller was chopped in the back and the side of his head, Witheridges injuries were to her head. [11], An autopsy revealed that both victims were hit by a hard object, resulting in head and face wounds. These illegal workers often reside with friends on the island, making it difficult to identify them. 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. So, if youre interested in finding out more about the case, including the perpetrators identities, heres what we know. [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". [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. (Facebook). [31][65] Jane Taupin, an Australian forensic scientist brought in by the defence, claimed that the timeline of DNA extraction was dubious; a rapid analysis of DNA samples had happened in less than 12 hours,[34] which she said was unusual because "extracting DNA from mixed samples was difficult and time-consuming". Death Island podcast follows the Koh Tao murders, which created an international frenzy when two young British tourists, Hannah Witheridge, and David Miller, were found murdered in September 2014. The balcony of room A5 at Ocean View Bungalows commands one of the finest vistas of Koh Taos sweeping Sairee Beach. 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. 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. Photograph: PA The island, two hours by boat from the nearest airport, has a low-key, undeveloped feel. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. Direct quotations from the trial are unavailable, as the judges did not permit the public to take notes. However, the erstwhile national police chief denied the allegations of torture, although the police refused to cooperate with representatives of Thailands National Human Rights Commission attempting to investigate the serious allegations. [6] Miller had just completed his undergraduate degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Leeds and was starting a master's degree. 2040 / 2557, Regional Court of Appeal VIII No. The family of murdered backpacker Hannah Witheridge has been hit by a fresh tragedy with the sudden death of her sister. He was travelling Southeast Asia with a friend after completing a six-week work placement in Australia with a mining company,[6][8][9] and arrived in Thailand in August. The bodies of David Miller, 24, from Jersey and Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, were found on a beach on Koh Tao in September 2014. [51][21] The trial was attended by external observers, including representatives from Amnesty International and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Both were found dead early on the morning of September 15. Greg Shepherd, 34, from Luton in the U.K., tells TIME he witnessed a man getting shot in the face in a bar north of Sairee Beach in the mid-2000s. But Koh Tao was a political penal colony from 1933 until 1947, and a sense of self-sufficiency and isolation exists to this day. 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. There are no official figures for the number of expats who call Thailand home, but it likely runs into the hundreds of thousands. Two Burmese workers were sentenced to death in 2015,. They were at the bar with around 50 people mostly foreign tourists before they left together after 1:00 am. Magazines, Digital Typically, they work seven days a week for a pittance, sleeping in bamboo shacks erected in jungle clearances. Laura Daniels, 30, died in hospital on Monday just five years and one day. They were identified as 24-year-old David Miller and 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge, [] View Photo Gallery (PIX11/CNN) A British man and woman were found dead on a popular resort island in . Thailands tourist industry is already reeling from the effects of marital law. 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. Theres no work permit that allows you to work in 15 different locations [under the sea], he says. [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. Hannah Witheridge & David Miller. 23 Sep 2014. [15] Public prosecutors initially rejected the report, asking for "certain flaws" to be fixed, more information to be supplied, and for the report to be made "more succinct". 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. Thailands National Human Rights Commission investigated these allegations, but progress has been glacial, not least because police representatives failed to turn up to four arranged meetings. Pensions and incomes that would be less than optimum in Europe, say, or North America, can fund a life of carefree hedonism in Thailand. Migrant workers convicted of murdering Hannah Witheridge and David [90][91], The 2014 murders, along with other deaths and disappearances of tourists, led to British tabloids labelling Koh Tao as "Death Island". [20] Both bodies were found semi-naked;[21] a pile of clothes was found nearby. Despite so many alleged loopholes in the investigation procedure, the court found Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo guilty of murder and sentenced them to death on December 24, 2015. [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. [4][11][14] Their bodies were discovered on Sairee Beach a few hours later, between 4 and 5am, by a mute Burmese beach cleaner. [26][27] However, her clothes were not tested for DNA. The family travelled to see parts of the subsequent trial of the two young Burmese migrant workers accused of the murders, partly paid for by a crowdfunding appeal set up to cover the costs of travel and translation at the hearings. Most are running guesthouses, eateries and scuba-diving operations or working as diving instructors. 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. As the investigation continues and new evidence emerges, it seems that the . Attempts to appeal the sentence failed, but a royal decree was issued by King Vajiralongkorn in 2020 commuting the death sentences to life imprisonment. [94] She suggested using identification wristbands for tourists to improve safety, but the idea was quickly scrapped. [38] Police entered the home the next day; only one of the men, Zaw Lin, was present. 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. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. In general, tourists are almost comically unaware of this malevolent undercurrent. Speaking exclusively to TIME at Koh Samui Prison, both appear much younger than their 22 years. [1][31] Pornthip Rojanasunand, a Thai forensic scientist, testified at the trial that the crime scene was poorly managed. [25] There were no known eyewitnesses to the murders. Telegraph.co.uk. How Did Steven Beirnes Die? Its something but its not enough, he says. On tiny Koh Tao alone, there are some 2,000 expats alongside the 2,500 registered Thais, according to Mayor Chaiyan Turasakul. 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. Because we have learned for generations to take care of visitors. A brand new police station has been built with 40 full-time officers replacing the five previously based here. A garden hoe and wooden club found nearby were quickly fingered as the principal murder weapons. During the trial, the prosecution also claimed Davids stolen phone was discovered smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lins.

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