On Friday, a Thai forensic expert said that DNA evidence from the supposed murder weapon did not match that of the accused. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Wearing helmets, bullet-proof vests and handcuffs, and wielding a dust bin instead of a hoe, the men demonstrated how they had supposedly killed the tourists. Mr Miller's family said they were "grateful" to the Thai king. GUILTY - Thailand - David Miller, 24, & Hannah Witheridge - Websleuths When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? The bodies of Miss Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller, from Jersey, were found on the resort island of Koh Tao in 2014. German Bernd Grotsch, 47, was found dead at his home deep in the jungle in the Mae Haad part of Koh Tao. It was a year ago that the bodies were discovered on the beach: nearly naked, their blood mixing with the morning surf. David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, didn't know each other before they met on holiday in Thailand in September. Thai authorities say IT manager Ben Harrington, 32, broke his neck when he crashed into an electricity pylon on a night-time moped ride on the island in August 2012. Human Rights Watch at the time called the verdict 'profoundly disturbing', citing the defendants' accusations of police torture that were never investigated and questionable DNA evidence linking them to the crime. 18:37 GMT 11 Aug 2021. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/thailand-police-parade-burmese-killers-of-hannah-witheridge-and-david-miller-in-front-of-cameras-on-koh-tao-30635263.html Thanks for that. The men have been charged with the murder of both Britons -- a charge which carries the death penalty. Mr Miller's are planning a memorial bench. 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. When the bodies of British tourists 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller were found brutally murdered on the remote Thai island of Koh Tao, the police immediately concluded that the killer had to be a foreigner, as a Thai person couldn't be capable of such brutality. Witheridge is a native of Great Yarmouth in the Southwest coast of England. In a statement they said a memorial was planned near Plemont Bay on the north coast of Jersey later this month. Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of murder in 2015. Drugs, rape and assault are an unfortunate consequence of Thailands reputation for hedonism, and the criminal elements it attracts. Since then, the case has perplexed police, devastated their families, and damaged the countrys tourism industry. 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. Shady. To use auto build you need to . We are not challenging judgment. But his mum believes he was mugged aswallet and watch were missing. 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. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Her sister Hannah Witheridge was found dead on a beach in Thailand in 2014 . The bodies of David Miller, 24, from Jersey, and Hannah Witheridge, aged 23, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, were discovered semi-naked on a beach in the divers' paradise of Koh Tao yesterday. Murderers of Brit backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller to be They had been bludgeoned to death. The two suspects, identified only as "Saw" and "Win," appeared at a news conference this week where the Thailand police commissioner said that DNA samples from . Not sure how I feel about the guilt of the 2 people charged. "They told me that they were on the beach that night drinking and singing songs," said attorney Aung Myo Thant, a Myanmar embassy official, The Guardian reported. Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. Its also reported that Witheridge had been raped prior to her death, those reports were later found to be unfounded. Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, had been raped before being beaten to death while Miller, 24, from Jersey, had been violently attacked and abandoned to drown in the shallow waters of the island's. "They're pleading with the Burmese government to look into the case and find out the truth," he added. Police had previously given conflicting statements about the DNA evidence, initially saying that it was lost or "used up" before later insisting that it had been properly saved, Reuters reported. He added: 'Life was never going to be easy or the same again, we shared difficult times but we found happiness together.'. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. 18:34 GMT 11 Aug 2021 Thai police admitted to moving Mr Miller's body, ostensibly to prevent it from washing away. Leaked Report Suggests Both Hannah and David Fought Off Their Attackers 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. He said he simply did not believe the killer would have taken the boat. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were killed in Thailand in 2014 Aug 17, 2020 Rex The two Burmese men who were jailed for killing British backpackers, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, in. The bodies of the two tourists were discovered in a rocky alcove close to the hotel where they were staying on the holiday island of Koh Tao almost three weeks ago. The two workers from Myanmar, wearing helmets and handcuffs, during a re-enactment of the alleged crime. She died at Southampton General Hospital on September 16, 2019 - five years after her sister Hannah Witheridge, then 23, was found beaten to death on a Thailand beach. Defense lawyers argued that DNA from a garden hoe allegedly used as a murder weapon did not match samples taken from the men. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, the two British backpackers found dead on a Thai beach last month, were reportedly killed by two Burmese men who confessed to officials this week. However, their supporters had claimed the pair had been framed and the evidence mishandled. Read about our approach to external linking. . being a glottal stop). Two of the suspects raped and killed Witheridge while another witnessed the murder, Thai police told the Bangkok Post. Mr Miller's family said their "daily thoughts" were still with their son a year after his death, adding he was "a unique and wonderful man". Edit: Just heard him pronounce the Thai king's name at the end of the episode. The pair said they offered information to. Putting names to archive photos, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, In photos: India's disappearing single-screen cinemas. "They were a really pitiful sight. Muerte en la playa: Episodio 2 - Tu AMC 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 . 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. 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. Thai police initially blamed Burmese migrant workers (favorite targets, in the words of Paul Quaglia, a Bangkok-based risk analyst). Thai police believe that Hannah may have turned down the advances of a local man after reports emerged that the pair were seen arguing with an alleged gangster in a bar. It is still unclear what prompted the killings. Miss Witheridge's family paid tribute to their. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. But when no evidence emerged to pin the murder on any Burmese, the focus shifted to other outsiders: Western friends of the victims. However, no toxicology report was conducted. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Con Jovelle Balani, Byron Charnonneau, Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk, Daniel Cifuentes. 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. A baby girl has died in tragic circumstances on a family holiday, after ingesting drugs her parents believe were left out in an Airbnb. Yeah, it was a but suspicious given they had the phone and there was apparently DNA evidence. The names of the tourists were first announced in a Sky News tweet. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. Magazines, Digital The bodies of 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller were found on a beach in Koh Tao in September 2014. Hannah, 23, and her friend David Miller, 24, were found dead on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao. Very strange. Oh I found out about this case while in Myanmar, where there is a great deal of sympathy for the men they convicted. THANK YOU. HARROWING photos of the corpses of English backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have surfaced online, traumatising their families. His death was ruled as suicide but police could not explain why his hands were tied behind his back. DNA tests on a cigarette butt found at the scene have now cleared the former. Tourist police said the safety measure would be voluntary. . Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, What the Murder of Two British Tourists Tells Us About Thailand's Dark Side. wikipedia.en/Koh_Tao_murders.md at main chinapedia/wikipedia.en Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. David Miller, 24, was found murdered on a beach on Koh Tao along with 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge. Grief: Relatives of David Miller and Hanna Witheridge hug . Miss Witheridge's family paid tribute to their "beautiful Hannah". Sue Witheridge gave evidence at the inquest into the death of. Accused of murdering British tourists, Myanmar men Zaw Lin (right) and Win Zaw Htun have withdrawn their confession, that they now say was extracted through torture. Hannah & David: Dirigido por John Barnard. They both decide to take a backpacking trip to Thailand before pursuing Master's Degrees in their respective fields. Her other daughter, Hannah Witheridge, was killed in a brutal double murder in a tourist hotspot in Thailand seven years ago. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were killed in Koh Tao, where fear of mafia involvement hides under paradisical faade. British backpacker Thailand murders: What happened to David Miller and With tourism critical to Thailand's economy, police. Corpse photos of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on internet 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. When residents of the affluent Southfields area of south-west London notice foul smelling smoke coming from a home on Wimbledon Park Drive in September 2017, firefighters arrive to make sure the house. Mrs. Daniels had been seriously ill, said the family statement confirming that she passed away on Sept. 16. Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of murder in 2015. Today it emerged that two men had confessed to killing the pair. "I'm not worried [about high public expectations] because I know how much the probe has been progressing. Please try again later. Nor did his department fully test the alleged murder weapon. CCTV footage shows the two leaving a bar together just hours before their battered bodies were discovered. Sky News reports that Miller was chopped in the back and the side of his head, Witheridges injuries were to her head. Doesn't seem like the killers would have left that behind. Asesinato es una palabra aterradora. Our hearts are broken, our lives shattered again, the statement said. So sad to hear that young man murdered in Thailand was Jerseyman David Miller. Davids not that bad, but my god what they did to Hannah. 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. I also found that extremely weird it was brought up once and never again. Thailands tourist industry is already reeling from the effects of marital law. Sun 23 Nov 2014 10.54 EST Last modified on Wed 29 Nov 2017 23.45 EST. 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. Shortly after arresting the men, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, Thai officials had them perform a bizarre public re-enactment of the crimes. We are not going into their personal information its just the details they have to fill out on the immigration form already, he said. The BBC reports that police in the area believe the man has already escaped Koh Tao. They had arrived in Thailand separately and met at the hotel where they were staying. --- Nar The two were said to have been backpackers going through the tiny island of Koh Tao. In the request, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo have called for the kings compassion, added Andy Hall, advisor to the legal defense team. A lot of the pictures were actually by some cleaners before the police even came. A quick scan of English-language news portals for the booming resort of Pattaya one of the countrys most popular destinations reveals a shocking litany of muggings, phone snatchings, shootings, stabbings, fatal car crashes, drownings, and more, all involving visitors. David Miller & Hannah Witheridge murdered on Thailand Island Two Burmese migrants who were convicted over the killings had their death sentences reduced to life imprisonment in 2020. I doubt we'll ever know the truth. The murders of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, occurred in the early hours of the morning after they left AC Bar. McAnna, a busker well known on Koh Tao as Guitarman, took a photo of the Thais and uploaded it to the Internet, after which he began receiving death threats. Credit: British Foreign Office That's when the killers pounced. Really surprised me since he usually goes to great lenghts get it right, however butchered this one that should have been "easy". '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.'. Both victims had been hit several times on the head; Witheridge had been raped, and Miller had been drowned. What the Murder of Two Young British Tourists Tells Us About Thailand On September 16, 2019 she was found unresponsive in hospital shortly after speaking to staff and was pronounced dead. Lt Gen Panya, appointed assistant national police chief earlier this week authorities had arrested three immigrant migrant workers. I mean, I do understand why they provide what the relatives say about the victims because it is kind of important to know what they think, but it would certainly be good to have a disclaimer at the beginning of episodes sometimes to remind listeners that any opinions and sentiments expressed by the people involved in the case do not reflect the opinions and sentiments of the podcast. Wai Phyo and Zaw Lin had denied killing Mr Miller and raping and killing Miss Witheridge. In addition to tagging tourists the Department of Tourism is keen to curb partying hours in visitor hot spots. Speaking at the inquest, she said: 'Given the post-mortem findings it is very difficult indeed to come to any conclusion other than open and that is because no one knows quite why Laura died when she did.