The trial came following accusations Lin and Phyo, who were migrant workers on the island, were being used as scapegoats by desperate investigators. Thai police admitted to moving Mr Miller's body, ostensibly to prevent it from washing away. Stricter rules for hiring migrant workers across the archipelago were introduced in the wake of the killings with astonishing speed. Drugs, rape and assault are an unfortunate consequence of Thailands reputation for hedonism, and the criminal elements it attracts. By 2023 TIME USA, LLC. The bodies of Miss Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller, from Jersey, were found on the resort island of Koh Tao . Grieving: Hannah Witheridge's family at the headquarters of the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok last year. A post-mortem examination was unable to determine a cause of death for Mrs Daniels, a paediatric nurse who lived in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. 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. Our hearts go out to the Witheridge family who are also coming to terms with the sudden trauma of the equally senseless ending of their Hannahs life, Mr Millers family said in a statement earlier this week. Killed in Thailand: British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. Both families have revealed their struggle to come to terms with their tragic losses, and have remained hopeful throughout the investigation. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. 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 The case attracted widespread media attention in the UK at the time. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. 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. Ms Witheridge, from Hemsby in Norfolk, and Mr Miller, from Jersey, were murdered on the popular holiday island on September 15. Two Myanmar migrant workers sentenced to death in Thailand for the murder of two British backpackers had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, their lawyer said. Asesinato es una palabra aterradora. These two kindred spirits meet for the first time on the . THANK YOU. Koh Tao is actually pronounced 'kaw? 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. Although there were signs of sexual activity, investigators have not ascertained whether Witheridge was raped. The police are getting a lot of not only domestic media coverage but also international, and are under pressure to make statements about progress.. On 15 September, the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao, between 4 and 5 am, a few hours after their deaths. 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. In March 2015 Russian touristValentina Novozhyonova, 23,vanished from her hostel on Koh Tao in mid-February - sparking a police search. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The case of Witheridge and Miller has, once again, laid bare the dichotomy between Thailands palm-fringed islands and dark underbelly immortalized in Alex Garlands 1996 dystopian novel The Beach. The bodies of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found on a beach on Koh Tao in September 2014. It means Myanmar people suffer a lot of discrimination and are generally treated as work chattel, and so it seems very easy for Thai authorities to pin crimes on them. The men said they didn't use a condom, even though police insisted they had. 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. He didnt mention the fact that eight days after the killing of Witheridge and Miller, not a single suspect has been identified or remains in custody. The problem is all the distractions, Quaglia tells TIME. Cookie Notice being a glottal stop). . My bets are that it was someone belonging to the Thai mafia. Her sister Hannah Witheridge was found dead on a beach in Thailand in 2014 . 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. The investigation descended into the absurd when the Thai Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, commented on the killings by saying that only ugly women were safe wearing bikinis in Thailand. Case 220: Hannah Witheridge & David Miller casefilepodcast 70 56 56 comments Add a Comment Lisbeth_Salandar 4 mo. The University of Essex student and her male compatriot David Miller, formerly of University of Leeds, were subsequently murdered. Blood spatters were not tested, he admitted. 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. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. The pair did not know each other before their holiday, but CCTV footage shows them leaving a bar together just hours before their battered bodies were discovered. Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of murder in 2015. 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. 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. Agreed. They lost their appeal in 2017. Davids not that bad, but my god what they did to Hannah. The men alleged that they had been tortured by the police, and legal teams claimed that the evidence was . "But in the end the truth has been revealed," the couple added. Two workers from Myanmar, formerly called Burma, are on trial for the tourists' murders, but the case is quickly unravelling in court. Press J to jump to the feed. The killings roiled Koh Tao, a 2000-hectare island buoyed by tourism. Around three weeks ago, on September 15, their bodies were found together . Hannah Witheridge and David Miller are perfect strangers who hail from coastal towns in the UK. . Write to Charlie Campbell at [email protected]. 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. Bricklayer Luke Miller was found at the bottom of a swimming pool at the Sunset Bar at Sairee Beach in January 2016. Thanks for that. Hannah Witheridge, from Hemsby, and David Miller, from Jersey, were found dead last September, David Miller's family released a new photograph of their son one year after his death in Thailand, Wai Phyo and Zaw Lin deny the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, 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, PM to end asylum claims from small boat arrivals, Mbappe breaks PSG goal record in win over Nantes, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court. Please try again later. The Daily Telegraph reports that the two were seen leaving a bar at around 1 a.m. Sky News reports that Witheridge had been traveling with three friends. We are not going into their personal information its just the details they have to fill out on the immigration form already, he said. In a statement they said a memorial was planned near Plemont Bay on the north coast of Jersey later this month. The government has lowered its forecast for tourist arrivals this year to 25.9 million, down from an initial target of 28 million. 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. Pictures of killed British tourists David Miller and Hannah Witheridge and a message of support to their friends and families are displayed during special prayers at Koh Tao island on Sept. 18, 2014, Thailand's Increasingly Strange Strongman, What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Shows. One year later, those test results are far from convincing. Putting names to archive photos, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, In photos: India's disappearing single-screen cinemas. 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. During the re-enactment, the two men wore flak jackets and motorcycle helmets as protection against angry residents, who fear the crime will damage tourism to the remote island. Mr Miller's are planning a memorial bench. Eventually about 300 people on the island had their DNA taken, and 10 had been at AC Bar, the last place he pair were seen alive. It would be "a place where Dave's spirit and love of life may be with you". . "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. Ms Witheridge had been raped and Mr Miller had been. Hannah & David: Dirigido por John Barnard. If you have already listened to the episode, you can submit your rating at the Casefile Ratings Form. David Miller is from the island of Jersey in the English channel between the United Kingdom and France. 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. Her other daughter, Hannah Witheridge, was killed in a brutal double murder in a tourist hotspot in Thailand seven years ago. On Friday, a Thai forensic expert said that DNA evidence from the supposed murder weapon did not match that of the accused. Autopsies showed that Witheridge died from head wounds while Miller suffered severe blows to the head and drowned in the surf. Laura Daniels, 30, died five years after her sister Hannah, 23, was killed on Koh Tao with David Miller of Jersey. This is the first time Ive really questioned the research in Casefile. Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. They werent trained for this. In the request, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo have called for the kings compassion, added Andy Hall, advisor to the legal defense team. Losing a loved one is so hard, imagine having doubt about if the right people were charged. What science tells us about the afterlife. and our Sun 23 Nov 2014 10.54 EST Last modified on Wed 29 Nov 2017 23.45 EST. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Today it emerged that two men had confessed to killing the pair. Laura Daniels, 30, died in hospital on Monday just five years and one day. As police linked arms to keep onlookers off the beach, the confused looking suspects fumbled to oblige. German Bernd Grotsch, 47, was found dead at his home deep in the jungle in the Mae Haad part of Koh Tao. From the beginning, there were signs that the investigation was in trouble. According to the Burmese suspects it was stolen from them while swimming. In a statement, Miss Witheridge's family said their daughter had been "taken from us in the most horrific way possible" and learning of her death had been an "indescribably impossible time". Having backpacked a few parts of South-East Asia (tho not Thailand), theres def a dark underbelly to some of these tourist paradise places that is palpable and unsettling.. and that came through in the storytelling of the episode. Mrs. Daniels had been seriously ill, said the family statement confirming that she passed away on Sept. 16. Her death while pregnant was a 'double tragedy', area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said as she recorded an open conclusion. 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. However, the three judges who handed down the original guilty verdicts and death penalties concluded the prosecution proved its case with forensic evidence that met international standards linking the men to the murders. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Sky News reports that Miller was chopped in the back and the side of his head, Witheridges injuries were to her head. Their bodies had all sorts of bruises.". But Thailand's Supreme Court upheld the convictions. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have been named as the two tourists who chopped up by a hoe in Thailand. British tourists David Miller, 24, and 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge, seen here, were killed with a garden tool after a beach party early Sept. 15, 2014 in Thailand. The island is known as a haven for scuba divers. 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. What is the plan to protect the high seas? David and 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge were found bludgeoned to death on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao after they had been drinking in a bar. He knew enough to pronounce the initial 'v' in the common English spelling of his name (Vajiralongkorn) as a 'w', but then he pronounced the 'j' as a Spanish 'h' (it's actually 'ch'). The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. , updated New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Scan this QR code to download the app now. 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. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Since then, the case has perplexed police, devastated their families, and damaged the countrys tourism industry. They deny any involvement. Two Burmese workers were sentenced to death in 2015,. Maybe I missed it but I dont think the fate of the guitar was addressed? Hannah, 23, and her friend David Miller, 24, were found dead on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao. The authorities announced that Ms Witheridge was raped, then said she wasn't, before finally saying she was raped twice. The trial is expected to conclude this month. The mother of murdered Norfolk backpacker Hannah Witheridge has spoken of her heartache of losing two daughters in five years. This episode has been added to the Casefile Spreadsheet. 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. Yep and the fact that he straight up fucked off out the country for fear of persecution from locals. But nobody familiar with Thailands feeble justice system is surprised by that. 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. Beware. A cruise employee has had his contract terminated after he was allegedly seen filming women from a female bathroom. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Hannah was also raped. I here to deliver the same warning. The two Myanmar men, in helmets and handcuffs, charged in the killings, were made to take part in a re-enactment of the crime. Cruise staffer fired after shock bathroom act. I wish true crime media would stop using this reasoning altogether. The family of murdered backpacker Hannah Witheridge has been hit by a fresh tragedy with the sudden death of her sister. It was not immediately clear how many prisoners could receive pardons or reduced sentences based on the different criteria listed in the decree. The vast majority of them have safe and enjoyable holidays, but a few are not so lucky. Miss Witheridge and Mr Miller met on Koh Tao while staying at the same hotel in Thailand. 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. The spotlight fell on British tourist Christopher Alan Ware, who shared a room with Miller, with police hinting at a crime of passion. Ware was arrested at Bangkoks main airport with his brother James. Meanwhile, David is fighting the other guy on the beach, during which time he swallows sea water. "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.". If you would like to rate cases 1-199, please do so at this Casefile Ratings Form (1-199). Mrs Witheridge who is separated from Miss Witheridge's father Tony Witheridge, 59, said . Two weeks ago, Hannah Witheridge was raped. They were in their early 20s and holidaying together on the tiny tropical island of Koh Tao, a backpacker's paradise off the coast of Thailand. The inquest, which began last month and finished on Wednesday, heard that Mrs Daniels had a complex medical history and had undergone numerous surgeries and treatments at various hospitals over the years. A summary of the appeal by the 'Koh Tao Two' against conviction and the death sentence for the murders of British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller appears to totally demolish a sloppy prosecution case in the controversial trial in Thailand. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. 2023 BBC. 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". 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. Noted. 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 . vanished from her hostel on Koh Tao in mid-February - sparking a police search, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Putting names to archive photos, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, In photos: India's disappearing single-screen cinemas. 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. 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. Bizarre pictures showed them handcuffed wearing bicycle helmets surrounded by cops as they reconstructed the attack on Sairee beach. Sue Witheridge gave evidence at the inquest into the death of. 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'. 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. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? Two men convicted of murdering two British backpackers in Thailand have had their death sentence upheld by its Supreme Court. Brit David Miller was bludgeoned to death The terrifying incident happened just a year before David Miller and Hannah Witheridge died. Critics, particularly those from the British media, have accused Thai authorities of bungling the investigation in the three weeks since the murders by chasing the wrong leads and failing to lock down the island in the hours following the killing. The collection, transport, testing, analysis, reporting and storage of forensic or DNA evidence used in the Koh Tao murder case did not meet international standards, said Andy Hall, a legal counsel for the families. 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. Mrs Daniels died five years and one day after her sister, Hannah Witheridge, 23 from Norfolk, was found dead on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand. "They were a really pitiful sight. To use auto build you need to . Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The police commissioner for the island of Koh Tao, Lieutenant General Panya Mamen, told the Bangkok Post: Two of the suspects raped and killed Witheridge, the other witnessed the murder. Killed in Thailand: British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. 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. David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, didnt know each other before they met on holiday in Thailand in September. He may have been protecting fellow victim Hannah Witheridge. A few days later, staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind. 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. Their bodies were discovered on a beach on the popular resort island of Koh Tao in September 2014. "Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo finally admitted to the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge and the murder of our son.". Witheridge died from severe head wounds while Miller died from blows to the head and drowning, according to the Thai forensics department. Hannah was also raped in the attack. Feel so sorry for their families. 'Hannah was gripping blond hair before she died' - claim (but perhaps not as dramatic as it sounds) Murder victim David Miller likely struggled with his attacker in the sea off the Thai holiday island of Koh Tao before being hacked to death. The sister of a British backpacker murdered in Thailand died in a 'double tragedy' while nine weeks pregnant, an inquest has heard. Thailand receives over 20 million tourists each year, drawn by the pearl-white beaches, stunning temples and sumptuous food. Disturbing online photos leave family of backpacker Hannah Witheridge disgusted By Sophie Goddard 9 Oct 2014 Rex Features Last month, the tragic revelation that backpackers Hannah. Also, ugly people are safe in Thailand but Burmese people are not. Beach cleaners discovered the. Credit: British Foreign Office That's when the killers pounced. They both decide to take a backpacking trip to Thailand before pursuing Master's Degrees in their respective fields. Do you know this baby? Copy and paste it. Thailands image as a tourist paradise has been badly damaged by the brutal murders. A final picture of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller taken just hours before they were brutally murdered. Good episode, but infuriating for the same reasons as many others. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. 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. The death sentences of two men convicted of murdering two British backpackers in Thailand were upheld by the Supreme Court. In addition to tagging tourists the Department of Tourism is keen to curb partying hours in visitor hot spots. dtao' (the ? Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun were sentenced to death for the murder of David Miller and the murder and rape of Hannah Witheridge. Thai National police today charged two Myanmar men with murder and rape after they confessed to killing the pair, with AFP reporting their DNA matched traces at the crime scene on Koh Tao island.
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