Silje Mathisen 2014; She added: "They didn't do any investigation at all. [72] The Supreme Court of Thailand upheld the sentence in August 2019, stating that the police handled the case correctly and the forensic evidence was "clear, credible, and detailed". [26][27] However, her clothes were not tested for DNA. We are furious that we have not been able to have an approved independent forensic examination.". Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Although Koh Tao is one of the most beautiful islands in Thai. The evidence in the form of this Unendorsed Report would have been ruled as inadmissible in US courts and other Western courts. He originally moved to the island in the late 1990s but left in 2016 after becoming frustrated with the corruption and hostility towards foreign business owners. "At first, we accepted what the Thai authorities had said because we knew no different. Andy was assisting the defence lawyers. The last known video footage of the Russian woman showed her walking to Chaloke Hin Kao bay and never coming back. A Thai/Indian couple circa June 2021. While his death was ruled as suicide cops could not explain why his hands are tied behind his back. Hannah was also raped in the attack. A member of staff told police he heard four to five cries of someone in shock approximately 10 minutes . Frenchman, Dimitri Povse, 29, was found hanging from the beam of a rented house on January 1, 2015. WARNING CONTAINS SOME DISTURBING IMAGES OF DEATH. It is not known who released the photos from the crime scene. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. [92], Thailand's government became concerned the murders may affect tourism to the country. While collecting forensic evidence, tourists and locals were allowed to walk on the beach. Thai beach murders: First pictures of British tourists battered to death on island The victims of the attack in Koh Tao have been named as 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge from Great Yarmouth. The body had to be identified using dental records and previous X-rays. [1][4][24] Witheridge's body indicated she had been raped. The island of Koh Tao, off the coast of Thailand, is often described as a paradise. Our family have been further traumatised by reports that there are numerous unnecessary and senseless photographs circulating across the internet. Police recovered the body and took it to the neighboring island of Koh Phangan. "They said they were going to cremate him the next day - I had to call the Home Office to stop the cremation. [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. A great number of Western backpackers have died under unexplained circumstances on this tiny tropical island in the past years. Hannah was a fun, vibrant and beautiful young woman who will be sorely missed by all who knew her. And on Koh Tao there are around 5,000 Burmese conspicuous by the golden streaks of thanaka paste, a traditional sunscreen and beauty product, garnishing their cheeks who build hotels, sweep. Thai authorities claimed he was drunk and fell, but his family believes he was murdered.. But they were skeptical and he was fit and healthy at the time of his death. Miller had scratches on his back and water in his lungs indicating drowning. [51] This decision was criticised by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group, one of the observers at the trial. [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). 2023 BBC. The families have opened up in Sky's new documentary, Death On The Beach, saying they believe Thai police covered up what really happened to their loved ones. 2040 / 2557, Regional Court of Appeal VIII No. The following month Russian Valentina Novozhyonova, 23,vanished from her hostel sparking a police search. A backpacker from Belgium, Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanged in the hillson the island on April 28, 2017. [87][88] The protests angered Thailand's prime minister, who believed the demonstrations were a plot "instigated" to hurt the government. The investigation of the Witheridge and Miller slayings was widely criticized as the crime scene was not properly secured, and questions were also raised about subsequent DNA testing. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. However, a lawyer for Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo told the BBC that the pair had not admitted their guilt when their death sentences were commuted. [7][12], Miller and Witheridge were last seen at a bar called AC Bar[13] with friends at a party on Sunday night with around 50 people mostly foreign tourists before they left together after 1am. An inquest had been held in 2014 as his death was being treated as suspicious. Elise's mother Michele van Egten says she does not believe the Thai police's version of events amid fears authorities are working to suppress speculation about the many murders on the island. 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At least eleven European tourists have died or disappeared there since 2014 and it is now described as Death Island or Murder Island. Nick Pearson, 25, was found floating in an island bay, at the foot of a 50ft drop on New Years Day 2014. British Bricklayer Luke Miller, 26, was found at the bottom of a swimming pool at the Sunset Bar at Sairee Beach on January 6, 2016. Koh Tao, Thailand, Serial killers, Unexplained murders WARNING CONTAINS SOME DISTURBING IMAGES OF DEATH The island of Koh Tao, off the coast of Thailand, is often described as a paradise. Lightboxes. An English human rights activist by the name of Andy Hall asked me to put him in touch with the Melbourne forensic expert, Jane Taupin which I did. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to ask that Hannah be allowed a well-deserved day of privacy on Friday whilst we join her many friends in a celebration of her life.. We have done our own investigation and we are sure she was murdered. She had checked into the hostel on February 11 and was due to check out on February 16, but failed to do so. Four months later, eight bodies were found after a cartel murder spree. Some 200 children have died in one nation after taking toxic cough syrups. Unfortunately, the Thai defence lawyers did not call Ms Taupin to give evidence even though she was available. 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. Luke Miller 2016; Upon arriving at the scene, police officers and rescue workers discovered the bodies of Mr Rakeshwar . Boyne Annesley believes his 23-year-old daughter Christina Annesley, of Orpington, southeast London, was murdered on Koh Tao Island in January 2015. A judge found the workers guilty and sentenced them to death despite questions about DNA evidence and the police handling of the case. It is not known who released the photos from the crime scene. [10], Witheridge and Miller travelled and arrived on the island separately on 25 August. Hiroshi 2002; A 28-year-old British guy. Measuring 21 square kilometres (8sqmi) in area, it is the smallest of three popular tourist islands in the Gulf of Thailand. Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. Staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind. [47] Thailand's National Human Rights Commission attempted to investigate the allegations, but police representatives did not appear at four scheduled meetings. The family has contested the police version of events. Buy images; Sell images; Lightboxes; The bungalow is 50ft above the ocean, theres nothing but massive granite boulders between his bungalow and the ocean so how did he managed to tumble all the way down there? [1][47] The national police chief, Somyot Poompanmoung, denied that torture was involved in the confessions. Burmese migrant workers made up an additional 5,000, around 2,000 of these being illegal immigrants who bribe local police by paying 500 baht each month. These illegal workers often reside with friends on the island, making it difficult to identify them. It covers an area of about 21 km2. Hannah was a University of Essex student from Hemsby in Norfolk, UK, and David was a civil and structural engineering graduate, from Jersey. Bergen Area, Norway. Hannah Witheridge was seen walking through Koh Tao with a group of friends - all of whom are thought to be British - just hours before being brutally murdered +17 View gallery The 23-year-old. [54] They argued that the defendants intended to kill Miller, using a hoe to hit him multiple times on the head. The pictures, which News Corp Australia will not reproduce, were taken on the beach at Koh Tao, where the pair was hacked to death with a garden hoe, allegedly by two Burmese men who confessed to the bloody crime then withdrew their confessions. All times AEDT (GMT +11). [6] Miller had just completed his undergraduate degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Leeds and was starting a masters degree. Read about our approach to external linking. [30] Thailand's National Human Rights Commission said "the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the two Myanmar workers were dubious, leading to impressions the suspects were not aware of their rights and that justice had not been done". 8.4K views 2 years ago Dedication to 20 foreigners who died on Koh Tao. "So for an hour the families of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller looked and listened as crime scene pictures were shown in court.". Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones. They also found a suicide note at the scene. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. They are said to have confessed to the crime but later retracted their statements. [2] In 2014, the island had a population of around 5,000 locals. Chrissie's heartbroken dad Boyne Annesley started investigating more deaths in Koh Tao. Friends and family remain suspicious of the police investigation and the insistence that Dimitri committed suicide, especially as his hands were tied behind his back. DESPITE its flawless beaches and crystal seas, Thailand has earned a deadly reputation after 60 Brits died there between 2014 and 2016 alone. They still maintain their innocence, as they did throughout the trial. [44] In December 2014, the suspects were each indicted on five charges: premeditated murder, killing to conceal a criminal offence, rape, illegal entry into Thailand, and staying in the country without permission. [31] A British defence lawyer, Felicity Gerry QC, said the trial was "far too rushed and unfair to the defense". Martin Totland Frilans. There were no signs of a struggle or rape or other human DNA. Sun 23 Nov 2014 10.54 EST. Amnesty International has demanded the Thai authorities investigate the torture allegations after one suspect reportedly said he was beaten and threatened with electrocution. 92 Visitor. [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". Samui Times defended its reporting in an online post. 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. [21][25] There was tearing present at the vulva, bruising on the perineum, and a bite mark on her right nipple. How are they ever going to get closure and justice if they dont know what happened? It will take a bit of time to find loopholes to appeal. But, he said that most of these would have been present prior to his death, although he could not completely rule out the possibility that Nick had been attacked. 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. Six weeks on . On September 20, 1988, Tara Calico left her home in New Mexico to go on a bike ride she took, In November 1981, actress Natalie Wood mysteriously drowned off the coast of Southern California during a boating trip with her, In July 2014, 52 year old Lynn Messer mysteriously disappeared from her familys 260-acre farm in Bloomsdale, Missouri. 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. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Investigators had no theory to explain her unexpected stopover on Koh Tao on her way back to the mainland and the capital Bangkok. "There has been lots of chit-chat on the internet. [23] Local residents blocked the pier to prevent the unidentified killers from leaving the island. Witheridge was travelling with three other friends, and Miller with two others. [70] Wai Phyo was also convicted of theft for allegedly stealing a phone and sunglasses from Miller's body. Bernds family in Ingolstadt, Germany, said that the authorities told them he had died of heart failure or had been bitten by a snake. [21][73], The death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment on 14 August 2020 following a royal decree to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday and "illustrate the king's clemency". [5][6] Both were students who were backpacking in Thailand. One of the men Mau Mau resided nearby. Nick Pearson, 25, was found floating in an island bay, at the foot of a 50ft drop by scuba divers in the sea after he disappeared following a night out with his family on New Year's Eve. Direct quotations from the trial are unavailable, as the judges did not permit the public to take notes. ", The dad added that some of the witnesses they spoke to were "too frightened" to come forward which shows "how the culture is.". Thailand's paradise island murder mystery continues to baffle police, BBC's south-east Asia correspondent reports from Koh Tao. [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. 10 July 2015. [11], An autopsy revealed that both victims were hit by a hard object resulting in head and face wounds. It has over 100 hotels and resorts and was deemed the busiest diving centre in Southeast Asia in 2014. He later apologised for the comment after it was met with public backlash. Valentina Novozhenova 2017; They followed the animal and discovered that it had been feeding on Elise's remains, which were found among rocks behind the Tanote Family Bay Resort. An unexplained fire that evening burned down three bamboo huts, including the one Elise had been staying in. The following morning the family raised the alarm when Nick failed to answer the door. Koh Tao--a small island in the Gulf of Thailand, surrounded by pristine beaches, swathed in sunshine, and a mecca for tourists, divers and backpackers. There were apparently no signs of robbery or attack in the room at the hotel where Alexandr had been staying. He was found hiding on the boat later on 2 October. On Koh Tao it meant a man living their life as a woman. And at least six young Brits have all died in suspicious circumstances on the small island of Koh Tao, leading their loved ones to label it "Death Island". We've all heard about the 2014 backpacker murders of two British tourists in Koh Tao, Thailand. [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. In pictures: Thailand beach murders Show all 12 It has also been claimed that vital DNA evidence linking the two suspects to the death of Miss Witheridge no longer exists - so cannot be retested.. [74], The investigation was met with criticism by international media, human rights groups, and legal experts.
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