(Both families declined to comment when contacted by TIME.). Koh Tao is by far the smallest. At one establishment by Chalok Baan Chao, joints are sold for 200 baht ($6) while a magic mushroom milkshake costs 700 baht ($20). Killed in Thailand: British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. Photograph: PA The police were accused of buckling under pressure to solve a crime that attracted worldwide attention. David worked as an intern in the St Helier offices of the Australian mining company Consolidated Minerals. [34][35], According to the prosecution in the subsequent case, CCTV footage analysed by the police showed three individuals riding a motorcycle to 7-Eleven, where they bought beer and cigarettes, before going towards Sairee Beach. How Did Steven Beirnes Die. Read More: Dilleen Hempel Murder: Who Killed Her? Read about our approach to external linking. The exact area where there bodies were found was the village of Hat Sat Ri. 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. ITV reports that the suspect may be a friend of either Witheridge or Miller. Foreign nationals were also immediately blamed for the crime, with a police spokesman even claiming,Thais would not do this. Their primary focus lay on migrant workers, with many alleging the authorities tortured them with scalding boiled water during interrogations. 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. Lin and Phyo (also known asWin Zaw Htun)were sentenced to death for the murder of Mr Miller and the murder and rape of Ms Witheridge. He later apologised for the comment after it was met with public backlash. funny ways to say home run grassroots elite basketball Menu . A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. Their senseless deaths sparked international outrage and raised questions about justice on Koh Tao. Ive not been threatened, but Ive too much to lose, he says. The bodies of Mr Miller and Miss Witheridge were found on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao in 2014. [1] After initially failing to find a match to one of the migrant workers, the police focused their attention on Western tourists related to the victims. The police quickly elicited a confession and, after a macabre reconstruction of the murders before a swarm of media including a staged session of penitent prayers by the accused probably hoped that the case looked closed. 23 Sep 2014. 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. [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". During the trial, the prosecution also claimed Davids stolen phone was discovered smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lins. Defence lawyers claimed. Zaw Lin was not convicted of this charge because he held a work permit for the two years preceding the murders. On July 10, the bench again ordered the DNA to be retested, only for the police to reveal that certain key samples specifically those retrieved from the victims bodies had been used up. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? In fact, says Sean Turnell, a professor and expert on Burmese economics at Australias Macquarie University, The economic circumstances of Myanmars majority rural population are now marginally worse than before the reforms were launched.. Both had been in Thailand since August and had met just hours before their deaths. Both victims had been hit several times on the head; Witheridge had been raped, and Miller had been drowned. Attempts to appeal the sentence failed, but a royal decree was issued by King Vajiralongkorn in 2020 commuting the death sentences to life imprisonment. Legally, it would seem quite easy to shut these dive shops down., Insecure residency tends to breed compliance. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. [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". A CCTV video of a woman running near the scene is described but not . 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. The only items still available for retesting were objects found around the crime scene, including the suspected murder weapons, but one witness claimed that these had been washed. However, the investigators quickly dismissed him as a suspect. Hannah, 23, from Hemsby, Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found dead on the island of Koh Tao on September 15. A post-mortem examination showed she had been raped. "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.". Read about our approach to external linking. 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 rooms and serve drinks to the coppery throngs of tourists. Hannah Witheridge pictured on Facebook back in September 2013. The island is known as a haven for scuba divers. Some work on fishing boats for years without seeing land, getting passed between trawlers, catching fish, squid and shrimp for American dinner tables. 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. Zaw and Wai were subjected to hours-long interrogation sessions, with the police using Burmese food vendors as interpreters since the pair did not speak Thai. [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. [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. Miller had been a student at Victoria College, a fee-paying school on Jersey. [55], The defence claimed that the investigation was flawed due to mishandling of forensic evidence, lack of legal representation during interrogations, use of threats and intimidation to secure a confession, and intimidation of witnesses. I had no idea, says Jordi Cramer, 21, a waitress from Edmonton, Canada, when TIME speaks to her strolling past the granite-hemmed crime scene. The 18-day trial of the two defendants, divided into three equal parts over several weeks, began on July 8. They took the victim away in a pickup truck and the barman just got a mop out and cleaned up the blood, he says. Ill never meet anyone like her. Lucy and Hannah were both receiving training to help people with speech difficulties, and Lucy said Hannah wanted to go on to work with children. Officials deny claims of torture and reports that men accused of killing Hannah Witheridge and David Miller withdrew confessions Jamie Doward Sat 11 Oct 2014 07.15 EDT Last modified on Sat 2 Dec . Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Miss Witheridge's family paid tribute to their . That would be absolutely in his character.. [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". 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 from her door. David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, didn't know each other before they met on holiday in Thailand in September. The convictions were mired in controversy, with supporters of the two men arguing they had been framed because their initial confessions were made under duress. [14][22] The police moved the bodies to prevent them being swept up in the rising tide. All Rights Reserved. (Facebook). These rocks are no strangers to explosive secrets. Laura Daniels, 30, has died five years after sister Hannah, 23,. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Thailands tourist industry is already reeling from the effects of marital law. islands volcanic inception. [1][11][18] A bloody hoe, believed to be the murder weapon, and a wooden club were found near the bodies,[19][4][14] along with three cigarette butts and a used condom. He was ultimately arrested a few hours later while hiding on the vessel. Taupin was ultimately not allowed to testify by the defence, and these issues were not raised by the defence until their closing statement. The BBC reports that police in the area believe the man has already escaped Koh Tao. RIP, Christian May (@christianrmay) September 15, 2014. [42] In the trial, the prosecution said the phone was found smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lin's. True Crime: In September of 2014, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Koh Tao's famous Sairee beach, dead. Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of murder in 2015. The names of the tourists were first announced in a Sky News tweet. He was interrogated and captured while his clothes and motorcycle were seized as evidence. A post-mortem examination showed she had been raped. Analytical Services; Analytical Method Development and Validation The bodies of Miss Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller, from Jersey, were found on the resort island of Koh Tao in 2014. grassroots elite basketball ; why does ted lasso have a southern accent . ; How Did Steven Beirnes Die? 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. Both men, in their early 30s, are presumed to be serving their sentence in some Thailand prison. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have been named as the two tourists who chopped up by a hoe in Thailand. Thai king commutes sentence of UK pairs killers, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. Family members of Hannah Witheridge comfort one another at the headquarters of the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok, on Sept. 18, 2014, Burmese migrant workers Wai Phyo and Zaw Lin arrive at the Koh Samui Provincial Court, in Koh Samui, Thailand, on July 8, 2015, Police measure footprints of a man as data is collected from people who work near the spot where bodies of two killed British tourists were found, on the island of Koh Tao, Thailand, on Sept. 19, 2014, David Miller, 24, from Jersey, left, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, Thailand is Suffering From The Worst Drought in Decades. DNA was collected from these three areas and sent to a police forensics lab for analysis. [10], Witheridge and Miller travelled and arrived on the island separately on 25 August. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. . Write to Charlie Campbell at charlie.campbell@time.com. Two Burmese workers were sentenced to death in 2015, after being found guilty of killing David Miller, 24, of Jersey, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, of Norfolk. [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". 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 investigators raided Mau Maus home on October 2 and arrested one of the men named Zaw Lin. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Miss Witheridge, a University of Essex student from Hemsby in Norfolk, and Mr Miller, a civil and structural engineering graduate, from Jersey, were bludgeoned to death. Expats dont want to lose their time in paradise, Earley says, as its cheap, its nice living, and its very easy to ignore what happens.. This is troubling when set against the allegations of torture made by the accused. They also. But in December, in a statement released by the Foreign Office, they said they were confident in the Thai polices work. Over the coming weeks we hope to gain a better understanding as to how such a wonderful young man lost his life in such idyllic surroundings in such a horrible way, said Millers family in a statement at the opening of the trial. They were seen buying beer and cigarettes before taking a shortcut route to Sairee Beach. Their senseless deaths sparked international outrage and raised questions about j She was just one of those beautiful, bubbly people, amazing inside and out. 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. He was found hiding on the boat later on 2 October. The defense lawyers urgently need both crucial information gained from the re-examination of forensic evidence in this case and also adequate time to consider this information prior to the trial beginning, said lead defense lawyer Nakhon Chomphuchat in a statement last month. After the court ordered the DNA to be tested again on July 10, the head of Thailands Central Institute of Forensic Science found that the DNA sample on the hoe did not match the defendants. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? "But in the end the truth has been revealed," the couple added. [36] Footage near the crime scene also showed one of the three men running into a shortcut. The family of murdered backpacker Hannah Witheridge has been hit by a fresh tragedy with the sudden death of her sister. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. 2023 BBC. 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. But many have concerns that the scene was contaminated immediately after the discovery of the bodies; myriad officials, journalists and even bewildered tourists were seen traipsing through the area while evidence was still being gathered. Mr and Mrs Miller, from St Helier, said: "Every moment we miss our son. [1][51] According to an observer, the sittings lasted over ten hours each day. His former headteacher described him as a bright young man and a talented artist, with real potential to forge a worthwhile and fruitful path in his life. The head of the country's Central Institute of Forensic Science found that the DNA on the hoe did not match the defendants. Far from official oversight, de facto control falls to the owners of booming hospitality businesses that were developed on land originally obtained, via government concessions, for coconut plantations. News reports stated officers rounded up200 alleged suspects, most migrant workers, and used mass DNA testing. WHEN Susan Witheridge heard her daughter Hannah wanted to go to Thailand she was terrified. [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. Torture allegations aside, the proceedings have been peppered with oddities. [38] Police entered the home the next day; only one of the men, Zaw Lin, was present. The Koh Tao murders involved the death of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014. The police found a garden hoe and a wooden club nearby, which were quickly determined as the principal murder weapons. Hannah Witheridge & David Miller: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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] Protesters called for the release of the two suspects, who they believed were innocent and scapegoated for the crime. [15] Experts have considered the forensic investigation to have been incompetent, and to have possibly framed the suspects. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo are two of an estimated 2 million irregular Burmese migrants, along with smaller numbers from neighboring Cambodia and Laos, currently working low-paid jobs in comparatively thriving Thailand. 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. The island of Koh Tao is located in Southern Thailand. Scared is right. "But in the end the truth has been revealed," the couple added. The main suspect in the crime is a fellow British backpacker, according to The Guardian. "[78] Another commentary in the paper stated that the "overwhelming public skepticism stems from the police's longstanding notoriety for arresting poor and powerless scapegoats to save rich criminals who can afford to buy their innocence". But the sheer ubiquity of drugs on Koh Tao suggests at the very least a high toleration of the trade. [51][21] The trial was attended by external observers, including representatives from Amnesty International and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. [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. Both bodies were found lying on a beach, stripped naked and bloodied. [71], A lawyer for the men, Nakhon Chomphuchat, said "we will appeal as soon as we can, we have just got a copy of the court's verdict. Two Burmese migrants were convicted over the killings of Hannah Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller, from Jersey, in 2015. The convictions were mired in controversy, with supporters of the two men arguing they had been framed because their initial confessions were made under duress. "[56] Attempts to appeal the sentence to the High Court in 2017 were unsuccessful. Two Burmese workers were sentenced to death in 2015, after being found guilty of killing David Miller, 24, of Jersey, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, of Norfolk. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. [80][81], The Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha, said "[foreign female tourists] think our country is beautiful and safe and they can do whatever they want, wear bikinis wherever they like. Powered by. 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. 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. Will [tourists] survive in Thailand if they dress in bikinis? he asked Sept. 17. Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were murdered on the Thai island of Koh Tao in September 2014. They had only been in the country for days before they were murdered. They were at the bar with around 50 people mostly foreign tourists before they left together after 1:00 am. Yet it remains an open secret that organized crime is rampant on these islands, says Saksith. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo found guilty of the murder of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller The victims: two lives cut short Why UK role in case worries rights groups The case that put Thailand. The family of Hannah Witheridge, a backpacker who was murdered in Thailand, have had their "hearts broken" by a second death. Feuding here is common and vicious. 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. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were brutally murdered while staying on Koh Tao. They partied together, with the couple last seen together at a local bar called AC Bar with friends on September 14. But it unraveled just as quickly. Case 220: Hannah Witheridge & David Miller. [2] In 2014, the island had a population of around 5,000 locals. Traditional longtail boats, a rainbow of scarves adorning their bows, bob on the lapping water of the glistening bay. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve. The police removed the bodies to prevent them from being swept up in the rising tide as the locals blocked the pier to stop the unidentified killers from leaving the island. She added, She always got along well on placement. Koh Tao murders, which created an international frenzy when two young British tourists, Hannah Witheridge, and David Miller, were found murdered in September 2014. Millers family also travelled to Koh Samui, the larger island near Koh Tao where the trial was held, to see some of the evidence. [26][27] However, her clothes were not tested for DNA. Witheridge and Miller are the two British tourists who were found dead after being chopped up on a Thailand beach. The pairs trial began on July 8, 2015, with the prosecution highlighting the DNA evidence and police findings as their primary strategy. [64], Several CCTV cameras near the crime scene were reported to be nonfunctional, and cameras near the pier were not checked by the police. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, "This Septic Isle: Backpackers, Bloodshed and the Secretive World of Koh Tao", "Links revealed between police and migrants on Koh Tao", "Police: Still no suspect in killings of Britons on idyllic Thai island", "Thai king commutes death sentence of UK pair's killers", "Thailand: Hannah Witheridge 'raped by two men before being killed', "Thailand backpacker murders: David Miller and Hannah Witheridge - two lives cut short", "Thailand murders: Victims' families talk of senseless killings", "Hannah Witheridge's family pay tribute to "beautiful, intelligent, loving young woman", "British backpackers murdered in Thailand named as Hannah Witheridge and David Miller", "Thailand murders: Amnesty International call for police torture probe", Koh Samui Provincial Court No. Once youve been living there for a while, youll turn a blind eye to some pretty sketchy stuff, says Mike Earley, 30, from New Zealand, who spent six months on the island working as a DJ. But in Thailand, the police perform the entire process. Thai king commutes sentence of UK pairs killers, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies. Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were convicted of the . [37] Two weeks after the bodies were found, on 1 October 2014, police interrogated Mau Mau, who said he took the motorcycle and separated from the other two men before the murders occurred, and found them both home asleep by the time he had returned. Hannah Witheridge, 23,front left, from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, middle right, from Jersey, were brutally killed on the island of Koh Tao last September . They toil in slavelike conditions for pitiful wages in occupations typically described as 3-D dirty, dangerous, degrading. [4][11][14] Their bodies were discovered on Sairee Beach a few hours later, between 4 and 5am, by a mute Burmese beach cleaner. Credit: British Foreign Office That's when the killers pounced. Burmese people are treated as second-class citizens, says Saksith. The second individual, Wai Phyo, had allegedly fled the island by boat the previous night. V z 2014 23let absolventka University of East Anglia, kter studovala magistersk titul v oboru logopedie. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, Ding becomes China's first male world chess champion, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home. However, the death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment following a royal decree commemorating King Vajiralongkorns birthday. [1][15][21], During an hours-long interrogation, during which the police used Burmese food vendors as interpreters[35] because the pair could not speak Thai,[41] the suspects confessed to the murders. As the local government was concerned about how the incident would affect the tourism prospects, the officials allegedly forced the detectives intoexpediting the investigation into the murders. Mr Miller's family said they were "grateful" to the Thai king. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. [1][96], Although tourist arrivals to Koh Tao dropped in the months immediately following the murders, there was little lasting effect on tourism to the island.[92]. Hannah Victoria Witheridge se narodila v Hemsby, Great Yarmouth Borough, v Norfolku, Anglie, 15. jna 1990. 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 . [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." [1][47] The national police chief, Somyot Poompanmoung, denied that torture was involved in the confessions. [62] They were both also charged with entering the country illegally, to which Wai Phyo had already confessed. They still maintain their innocence, as they did throughout the trial. Foreigners die surprisingly often here. Irregular Burmese migrant workers were now required to register with the police in an attempt to discourage illegal workers and prevent bribery. Drugs play a key role. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Home; Service. Miller, a year older and from Jersey, one of the U.K.s Channel Islands, had likewise suffered deep lacerations to his skull before drowning in the shallow surf. Jak zemeli Hannah Witheridge a David Miller? [54] They argued that the defendants intended to kill Miller, using a hoe to hit him multiple times on the head. Hannah Victoria Witheridge was born in Hemsby, Great Yarmouth Borough, in Norfolk, England, on October 15, 1990. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. 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. [11], An autopsy revealed that both victims were hit by a hard object, resulting in head and face wounds. 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. Hannah was also raped. David Miller, 24, from Jersey, was found murdered alongside Hannah . And right in the foreground, rising proudly from sliver sands, protrude a scattering of granite boulders, a furtive relic of this tranquil 21-sq-km (8 sq. She was buried the following month near her family home following a service billed as a celebration of her life, with mourners encouraged to wear bright colours. [95] The mayor of the island, Chaiyan Turasakul, announced a new police station and staffed it with 40 full-time officers, compared to five previously. Some of these workers said they can earn more money in Thailand compared to Myanmar. 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. [51][56][57] They argued that the defendants, since they were vulnerable as illegal migrant workers, were scapegoated by the police for the crime. 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.