They will also have the opportunity to further reduce their sentences for good behavior. Miss Witheridge's family paid tribute to their. Cruise staffer fired after shock bathroom act. I tend to want to see what the players look like after I am done listening, and some of the images that came up should just not be online. Crowds of onlookers watched as the suspects were led to the rocky alcove along the shore where the two bodies were discovered. The killings roiled Koh Tao, a 2000-hectare island buoyed by tourism. RIP, Christian May (@christianrmay) September 15, 2014. When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? By Mr Miller's are planning a memorial bench. Instead, he told the court that the hoe was examined under a magnifying glass but investigators decided there were no viable fingerprints or DNA to collect, Sky News reported. Autopsies showed that Witheridge died from head wounds while Miller suffered severe blows to the head and drowned in the surf. Beware. 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. TWO men found guilty of murdering a pair of British backpackers in Thailand will be executed after their appeals were thrown out by the courts today. Although there were signs of sexual activity, investigators have not ascertained whether Witheridge was raped. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Given the handling of the case, its pretty clear that Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo definitely didnt do it. Specially how their entire investigation depended entirely on their DNA evidence, which honestly, sounded like it either was completely made up or staged. With tourism critical to Thailand's economy, police. Thoughts and prayers with his family and friends. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo - also known as Win Zaw Htun - were found guilty of the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and the murder of David Miller, 24, on December 24, 2015. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. - Listen to Case 236: Sophie Lionnet by Casefile True Crime instantly on your tablet, phone or browser - no downloads needed. Credit: British Foreign Office That's when the killers pounced. Exact date yellow weather warning for snow and ice forecast to hit UK - will you be affected? Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. This is the first time Ive really questioned the research in Casefile. But his mum believes he was mugged aswallet and watch were missing. They both decide to take a backpacking trip to Thailand before pursuing Master's Degrees in their respective fields. Nor did his department fully test the alleged murder weapon. Said so, I always like to see images of the victims and perpetrators to see how they looked like and for those of you who might be sensible to gruesome scenes, I recommend you not to look at Hannahs crime scene picture. 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. Ms. Witheridge, a student at the University of Essex from Hemsby, Norfolk, was beaten to death in thailand. 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. 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. They lost their appeal in 2017. 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. German Bernd Grotsch, 47, was found dead at his home deep in the jungle in the Mae Haad part of Koh Tao. The men alleged that they had been tortured by the police, and legal teams claimed that the evidence was . Police revealed that the two Thais had been interviewed but were released after refusing to provide DNA samples. Meanwhile, David is fighting the other guy on the beach, during which time he swallows sea water. Edit: Just heard him pronounce the Thai king's name at the end of the episode. I also found that extremely weird it was brought up once and never again. The exact area where there bodies were found was the village of Hat Sat Ri. Roblox Blox Fruits Script Pastebin Hacks - GUI 2022. Witheridge is a native of Great Yarmouth in the Southwest coast of England. Both families have revealed their struggle to come to terms with their tragic losses, and have remained hopeful throughout the investigation. It's not always a call for help. The two Myanmar men, in helmets and handcuffs, charged in the killings, were made to take part in a re-enactment of the crime. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? 2023 BBC. The men have been charged with the murder of both Britons -- a charge which carries the death penalty. His death was ruled as suicide but police could not explain why his hands were tied behind his back. He added: 'Life was never going to be easy or the same again, we shared difficult times but we found happiness together.'. The men alleged that they had been tortured by the police, and legal teams claimed that the evidence was misused. It was a year ago that the bodies were discovered on the beach: nearly naked, their blood mixing with the morning surf. They are both eligible under a section of the royal clemency decree to have their death sentences reduced to life in prison, Nakhon said. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller are perfect strangers who hail from coastal towns in the UK. Last month, a court on Koh Samui - 64 kilometres from Koh Tao - ordered that the remaining forensic evidence in the case be sent for re-examination. It was not immediately clear how many prisoners could receive pardons or reduced sentences based on the different criteria listed in the decree. The University of Essex student and her male compatriot David Miller, formerly of University of Leeds, were subsequently murdered. Her mother, Mrs Witheridge previously wept at one point in the hearing and said: 'You lose one daughter, you don't expect to lose another.'. In a statement they said a memorial was planned near Plemont Bay on the north coast of Jersey later this month. Grief: Relatives of David Miller and Hanna Witheridge hug . Very strange. The seemingly sluggish response was compounded by insensitive comments made by the coup-leading prime minister, Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who was forced into a rare public apology after suggesting women wearing bikinis could be more vulnerable to attack. Really surprised me since he usually goes to great lenghts get it right, however butchered this one that should have been "easy". Thai police admitted to moving Mr Miller's body, ostensibly to prevent it from washing away. 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. A bloodstained garden hoe, which is thought to be the murder weapon, was discovered nearby, AFP reported. Read about our approach to external linking. It only emerged in recent days that Witheridge, a speech therapy student from England, was brutally raped before her death. Hannah Witheridge pictured on Facebook back in September 2013. Magazines, Digital If you have already listened to the episode, you can submit your rating at the Casefile Ratings Form. For more information, please see our 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!' Defense lawyers argued that DNA from a garden hoe allegedly used as a murder weapon did not match samples taken from the men. The family of Hannah Witheridge, a backpacker who was murdered in Thailand, has been heartbroken by a second death. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. We are not going into their personal information its just the details they have to fill out on the immigration form already, he said. Losing a loved one is so hard, imagine having doubt about if the right people were charged. POLICE have finally made a breakthrough in investigating the shocking murders of two British backpackers whose battered bodies were found last month on a beach in southern Thailand, but mystery still surrounds the horrific discovery. 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 Myanmar men, in helmets and handcuffs, charged in the killings, were made to take part in a re-enactment of the crime.Credit:Reuters. David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, didnt know each other before they met on holiday in Thailand in September. . 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. Thailand beach murders: Hannah Witheridge and David Miller may have argued in bar with gangsterBy Andy Lines KOH TAO: -- Police are also trying to trace a mystery western woman seen on CCTV running along the main street in the early hours on the night of the murdersMurdered British backpackers Ha. I kept thinking the episode was going to circle back around to this aspect but it never did. Case 220: Hannah Witheridge & David Miller casefilepodcast 70 56 56 comments Add a Comment Lisbeth_Salandar 4 mo. The popular holiday spot has been dubbed 'death island' after a string of tourists died in shocking circumstances while holidaying there. The mother of murdered Norfolk backpacker Hannah Witheridge has spoken of her heartache of losing two daughters in five years. He made it seem important then it was dropped. They both decide to take a backpacking trip to Thailand before pursuing Master's Degrees in their respective fields. with a blow to the head and water in his lungs, a British friend of hers as a person of interest, initially saying that it was lost or "used up". "This tree was another tower of Jersey strength brought crashing down before its time," they said. dtao' (the ? 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, but their sentences were changed to life in prison on Friday thanks to a royal decree. Ms Witheridge had been raped and Mr Miller had been. Today it emerged that two men had confessed to killing the pair. "DNA and forensics evidence relied on to convict Zaw Law and Wai Phyo, and sentence them to death in the Koh Tao murder case was fundamentally flawed and unreliable in terms of international standards.". A few days later, staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind. These two kindred spirits meet for the first time on the . Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were killed in Koh Tao, where fear of mafia involvement hides under paradisical faade. In 2019, the mothers of Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun filed a plea for clemency from the King of Thailand on Thursday, in a case tainted by allegations of wrongdoing, saying the couples confessions were obtained under duress. Privacy Policy. 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. The death sentences of two men convicted of murdering two British backpackers in Thailand were upheld by the Supreme Court. Do you know this baby? T he brutal murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on the Thai resort island of Koh Tao, has reverberated around the world. On Sept. 15, one of the occupants of that same room A5, Hannah Witheridge, was found bludgeoned to death in their midst alongside fellow British tourist David Miller, just a short stumble. We have to look into the behavior of the other party [Witheridge and Miller] too, he said. The sister of a British backpacker murdered in Thailand died in a 'double tragedy' while nine weeks pregnant, an inquest has heard. 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. Stricter rules for hiring migrant workers across the archipelago were introduced in the wake of the killings with astonishing speed. We have discussed it with hotel operators and they are willing to do it, he said. The authorities announced that Ms Witheridge was raped, then said she wasn't, before finally saying she was raped twice. Yep and the fact that he straight up fucked off out the country for fear of persecution from locals. But far from attempting to address the issues of visitor safety, Thai army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the nations self-appointed Prime Minister following a May 22 military coup, has stoked outrage by pointing fingers at the victims. Sexual assault and rape, much of it unreported, bedevil Koh Phangans world famous full-moon parties. Read about our approach to external linking. But given all the other weird deaths and rumours of coverups etc. Hannah Witheridge, a backpacker who was murdered in Thailand, The family of Hannah Witheridge, has had their hearts broken by the second death of her sister who died in hospital, Laura Daniels. 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. "Our thoughts are also with the Witheridge family and the tragic loss of their daughter. Killed in Thailand: British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. Brit David Miller was bludgeoned to death The terrifying incident happened just a year before David Miller and Hannah Witheridge died. The bodies of Mr Miller and Miss Witheridge were found on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao in 2014. The convictions were mired in a controversy with supporters of the two men who argued that they had been indicted and that they had initially confessed to the crimes under duress. 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. View our online Press Pack. Write to Charlie Campbell at charlie.campbell@time.com. 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. "We hope that these two murderers will now spend a very, very long time in jail where they cannot harm other families and will have time to reflect on the consequences of their acts.". (Facebook). She is an absolute nut job with an inexplicable vendetta against Tao, who has been exiled from Thailand due to defamation charges (not just from this story), and her and her partner are supporters of the English Defence League and known racists. Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of murder in 2015. Mr Miller's family said they were "grateful" to the Thai king. Hannah runs, with one of the assailant following her. Tourist police said the safety measure would be voluntary. "They were a really pitiful sight. The second-gen Sonos Beam and other Sonos speakers are on sale at Best Buy. Both were detained on the island and questioned by police who brought them to the crime scene to re-enact their alleged crimes, a standard part of criminal investigations in Thailand. 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 . That's not how being suicidal works! "I'm not worried [about high public expectations] because I know how much the probe has been progressing. International legal and forensic scientists said in 2016 that the DNA investigation by the Thai Police Forensics Laboratory was incompetent with no chain of evidence. The two workers from Myanmar, wearing helmets and handcuffs, during a re-enactment of the alleged crime. On September 14, 2014, they attended an all-night party on Koh Tao's idyllic Sairee Beach, a swathe of emerald water and white sands. Belgian backpackerElise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanged in the hillson the island on April 28, 2017. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. What science tells us about the afterlife. Seriously though, all I can hear is kachow. Asesinato es una palabra aterradora. and our His defense attorneys have also said that the evidence used to convict the two men was unreliable as authorities had mishandled the DNA and did not allow independent analysis of the samples. In addition to tagging tourists the Department of Tourism is keen to curb partying hours in visitor hot spots. , updated --- Nar Hannah Witheridge & David Miller: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Lin and Phyo initially confessed to the killings but then retracted their statements saying they were tortured. We urge anyone who can help these investigations to please assist the Royal Thai Police in solving these murders and bringing the culprits to justice. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Thailands image as a tourist paradise has been badly damaged by the brutal murders. "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. "The second roti seller has been on the stand and it's become very clear that he does not have much of grasp of Thai at all so we don't understand how he could have translated for police," Andy Hall, a British migrant rights advocate who is assisting the defence, told the newspaper. ago This episode has been added to the Casefile Spreadsheet. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Beach cleaners discovered the. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Matthew McConaugheys wife was among the passengers on board a Lufthansa flight struck by severe turbulence and has described the chaos. Sky News reports that Miller was chopped in the back and the side of his head, Witheridges injuries were to her head. There is other evidence that points to these deaths being murders, but family members saying that the victims weren't suicidal is not it. We are saying that by giving them the death penalty, they will lose the opportunity to do something good with their lives, lawyer Nadthasiri Bergman said at the time. One year later, those test results are far from convincing. David Miller, 24, from Jersey in the Channel Islands, had been backpacking across Asia and Australia before spending time on the popular party island of Koh Tao. Laura Daniels, 30, died five years after her sister Hannah, 23, was killed on Koh Tao with David Miller of Jersey. 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'. Or, for the IPA-inclined, '/k/ /taw/'. Bizarre pictures showed them handcuffed wearing bicycle helmets surrounded by cops as they reconstructed the attack on Sairee beach. However, their supporters had claimed the pair had been framed and the evidence mishandled. Witheridge and Miller are the two British tourists who were found dead after being chopped up on a Thailand beach. The brutal murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on the Thai resort island of Koh Tao, has reverberated around the world. Sue Witheridge gave evidence at the inquest into the death of. 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. This episode has been added to the Casefile Spreadsheet. So sad to hear that young man murdered in Thailand was Jerseyman David Miller. Prosecutors have claimed the men are linked to the killings by DNA evidence collected from cigarette butts, a condom and the bodies of the victims. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. 2023 BBC. The pain of this loss is indescribable and our family needs a lot of time and privacy during this excruciating time.. In a separate address, for which he has since apologized, he said that tourists think our country is beautiful and is safe so they can do whatever they want, they can wear bikinis and walk everywhere. The general even suggested that the only tourists who should feel safe in bikinis were those who were not beautiful.. He has now apparently fled into hiding in fear for his life. On September 16, 2019 she was found unresponsive in hospital shortly after speaking to staff and was pronounced dead. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. Most of tourists are coming here for diving or to admire our nature not to party, Arnuparp said, adding new zoning curbs would likely control all-night bars and clubs. 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. Do you know this baby? We are confident that these people will be caught now or later.. Shortly after arresting the men, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, Thai officials had them perform a bizarre public re-enactment of the crimes. "She would have gone on to make a significant difference to the lives of many people.". And even Sairee was mispronounced. 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. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. 18:37 GMT 11 Aug 2021. Next, suspicion turned to a pair of Thai men that Sean McAnna, a 25-year-old Scottish friend of Millers, claims to have witnessed molesting Witheridge on the night before she was killed an altercation from which she was apparently rescued by Miller. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Scan this QR code to download the app now. Prosecutors said DNA evidence collected from cigarette butts, condoms, and the bodies of the victims linked Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun to deaths. . This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. An autopsy examination showed that Ms. Witheridge had been raped. 2 min read. Not sure how I feel about the guilt of the 2 people charged. 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. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. "We're confident we have a very high chance of finding the suspects," the senior police officer said. 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. Their bodies were discovered on a beach on the popular resort island of Koh Tao in September 2014. Their bodies had all sorts of bruises.". The biggest giveaway that that book isnt going to be up to much is that the front cover is Koh Nang Yuan, which is a different island to Koh Tao altogether. Copy and paste it. The families of two British tourists murdered in Thailand have spoken of their "torturous pain" and "destroyed lives" one year on from the deaths. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 22, initially confessed to the killings but later retracted their statements, saying they had been tortured. 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.