The island of Koh Tao, off the coast of Thailand, is often described as a paradise. Shared On: 28th Dec, 2022. ", Mrs Miller said: "It's been hard, very hard. [63] They plead not guilty to the charge at the trial, but Wai Phyo changed his plea to guilty during the proceedings. With crystal-clear waters, perfect sandy beaches, palm trees and great nightlife. Enterprise. [39] Following an interrogation, during which police say Zaw Lin admitted he had entered the country illegally, Zaw Lin was arrested and his clothes and motorcycle were seized as evidence. Now their families are demanding answers. "We asked for a copy of the CCTV footage and they said it was destroyed. They followed the animal and discovered that it had been feeding on Elise's remains, which were found among rocks behind the Tanote Family Bay Resort. The bodies of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found on a beach on Koh Tao in September 2014. . He announced that he had "ordered all security-related agencies to track down those who are behind the Myanmar demonstrations". The island is small and gifted with loads of hidden gems and completely deserted bays. Thai authorities claimed he was drunk and fell, but his family believes he was murdered.. DESPITE its flawless beaches and crystal seas, Thailand has earned a deadly reputation after 60 Brits died there between 2014 and 2016 alone. The hearing was told that a post-mortem examination in Thailand showed that Mr Miller had a number of small bruises on his face and legs and gave a cause of death of head injuries and drowning. The authorities said he had died after striking the diving board from which he was jumping. Witnesses said items belonging to the Moldovan were seen in the early hours of Tuesday morning and police were alerted. The prosecution says a DNA match between samples found on Miss Witheridge's body and the two defendants is central to its case. Find the perfect agent pastime stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. She was also part of the Sathya Sai Baba cult and lived with a self-proclaimed 'guru'. While collecting forensic evidence, tourists and locals were allowed to walk on the beach. We've all heard about the 2014 backpacker murders of two British tourists in Koh Tao, Thailand. The more I was getting involved, the more I was reporting, the more upset the Thais would get," she added. [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. Here are the names of some of the other outsiders who died on Koh Tao: Ian Jacobs 2000; [1][51] According to an observer, the sittings lasted over ten hours each day. Two migrant workers from Myanmar on death row for the 2014 murder of two British backpackers on Koh Tao have had their sentences commuted to life in . [51][56][57] They argued that the defendants, since they were vulnerable as illegal migrant workers, were scapegoated by the police for the crime. Chrissie's heartbroken dad Boyne Annesley started investigating more deaths in Koh Tao. How are they ever going to get closure and justice if they dont know what happened? [62] They were both also charged with entering the country illegally, to which Wai Phyo had already confessed. Elise had been traveling around Asia for two years, and before her death had been living at a yoga and tantra retreat on Koh Phangan. [42][43] The police said the suspects' DNA matched a sample of semen taken from Witheridge's body, and to the hoe and cigarette butts found near the body. https://time.com/3955081/thailand-koh-tao-murder-david-miller-hannah-witheridge-zaw-lin-wai-phyo-burma-myanmar/, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/dark-side-koh-tao-seven-10708561, https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/true-crime-in-the-outdoors/tag/Cases+on+the+Death+Island+of+Koh+Tao, https://www.nist.gov/feature-stories/dna-mixtures-forensic-science-explainer. [42][43] Early police reports said Miller's mobile phone was also found in Zaw Lin's home,[44][45] although the media had previously reported the phone was handed to police by a friend of the victim. The suspects however have withdrawn their confessions to the murders and claimed Thai police forced the admissions through torture. Burmese migrant workers made up an additional 5,000, around 2,000 of these being illegal immigrants who bribe local police by paying 500 baht each month. He started another business in neighboring island Koh Phayam before returning in March 2018 to "tie up loose ends". As the Witheridge family prepares for Hannahs funeral, her parents, Sue and Tony Witheridge, released this statement: Time makes the pain of this horrendous tragedy no easier to bear. Nick's mother Tracy Pearson, told Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court in the U.K., she had "a gut feeling there was foul play". The body had to be identified using dental records and previous X-rays. "There has been lots of chit-chat on the internet. Staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind. Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. "We'll go with the flow as much as we can. June 6, 2021. The mum of Ben Harrington Pat was never convinced by the local police's explanation that her 32-year-old son broke his neck when he crashed into an electricity pylon on a night-time moped ride in August 2012. See the latest list of Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30320196. The father of murdered British backpacker Hannah Witheridge has wept as graphic photos of her body lying on a Thai beach were shown in court. The police were under pressure to produce results quickly, which affected how they conducted their investigation. Verdicts in the case are not expected until October. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. "I only had my suspicions, his body came back to me without a wallet or anything on him. In 2018 in Cancn alone, there were 540 murders. In 2014, Koh Tao was the site of the brutal double murders of two British backpackers, but theirs weren't the only suspicious backpacker deaths. They still maintain their innocence, as they did throughout the trial. Both were found dead on the bottom of a swimming pool at a seaside resort on Koh Tao in Surat Thani. "At first, we accepted what the Thai authorities had said because we knew no different. I was told on more than one occasion that I needed to take down this stuff from the paper. "Thai courts make little allowance for the feelings of relatives," he said. Police and court systems were hacked or taken offline in the following days, and a stash of personal information obtained from the court's servers was posted publicly. Read about our approach to external linking. UK reporter Suzanne Buchanan has thoroughly investigated the cases alongside the deaths of Belgian Elise Dellemange, Swiss Hans Peter Suter and French Dimitri Povse -who also were also found dead under mysterious circumstances. [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 mistake that many forensic experts say jeopardized the entire investigation.Throughout the investigation and criminal trial, the Thai government and police were heavily criticized by human rights organizations, legal experts, and the media. [44] In December 2014, the suspects were each indicted on five charges: premeditated murder, killing to conceal a criminal offence, rape, illegal entry into Thailand, and staying in the country without permission. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Two weeks later, two illegal Burmese migrant workers were blamed for the deaths, primarily on the basis of DNA evidence, and confessed following an hours-long interrogation. [15] Public prosecutors initially rejected the report, asking for "certain flaws" to be fixed, more information to be supplied, and for the report to be made "more succinct". Nick's father, Graham, had been the last person to see him when he walked with his son back to where the family was staying. Koh Tao Murder - Thai Police, their scapegoats and tourist trade - Exposed by AnonymousThis video goes into the deep facts of the recent Koh Tao Island murder of David Miller and Hannah. The father-of-ones family in Ingolstadt, Germany, said at the time they did not believe the authorities' claims that hedied of heart failure or had been bitten by a snake.. [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]. Pathologists and legal experts criticised the police for mishandling the evidence, allowing contamination of the crime scene and failing to use experts to collect forensic evidence. 92 Visitor. Bernd's cousin Christina said: ''We cannot accept what the Thai authorities on the island are telling us. At the end of the trial's third day, the judge said police had informed him all the samples taken on the island were "finished" - meaning they could not be analysed again. 24, after their battered bodies were found on a beach on the southern resort island of . This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Koh Tao murders: Thai court upholds death penalty for two men convicted of killing British backpackers . Ms Taupin did note however that the document that the prosecution relied upon was an Unendorsed Report in that it had no seal or stamp certifying that it had been produced by an accredited laboratory and in accordance with international standards. However, at that time I was already aware of other tourist deaths on the island. [7][12], Miller and Witheridge were last seen at a bar called AC Bar[13] with friends at a party on Sunday night with around 50 people mostly foreign tourists before they left together after 1am. The evidence in the form of this Unendorsed Report would have been ruled as inadmissible in US courts and other Western courts. Ms Witheridge, from Hemsby in Norfolk, and Mr Miller, from Jersey, were murdered on the popular holiday island on September 15. They had no prior criminal records. [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. That is awful. "We identified a person who was with her last and they didn't follow up with them- then we asked for a blood sample and they delayed. Constance Marten seen leaving court after appearing before magistrates charged with manslaughter of baby, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon blow each other a kiss in dock before court hears dead baby was found in bag in shed, Mum identified after dead baby is found on Canford Heath, Thai police covered up what really happened, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Shelley Bot 2017; Informacin detallada del sitio web y la empresa: joanromans.com, +49803921568627, +34972573012, +34643318517 Focs i Estufes Romans - Joan Romans About Nick Pearson they said he fell out of his bungalow and ended up drowning in the ocean. A Japanese high court approved Monday a posthumous retrial for a man who was convicted of murdering a 69-year-old woman in 1984 in western Japan, upholding a lower court's decision. The island of Koh Tao is located in Southern Thailand. However, the event did not materially affect tourism to the island over the following years. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. We are here for David because of his tragic death. The defendants have repeatedly stated their innocence over the murders, with the defence alleging they were framed. Hannah Witheridge 2014; Measuring 21 square kilometres (8sqmi) in area, it is the smallest of three popular tourist islands in the Gulf of Thailand. If you are interested, I have further information on my social media accounts. In September 2014, two European backpackers, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found murdered on Sairee Beach on Thailands island of Koh Tao. An inquest had been held in 2014 as his death was being treated as suspicious. They also raised concerns with the absence of legal counsel prior to the confession, as well as difficulties with translation and interpretation. "What we're after are some answers- whether we are going to get them or not I don't know. Police recovered the body and took it to the neighboring island of Koh Phangan. Virat Asavachin (Mr Ban) 2002; [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. Koh Tao ''Turtle Island'' or Ko Tao is an island in Thailand and is part of the Chumphon Archipelago on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Today, we have gotten rid of them.. Due to the nature of her passing, our beautiful girl has had little privacy. [4], The victims of the murders were Hannah Witheridge, a 23-year-old from Hemsby, England, and David Miller, a 24-year-old from Jersey, a Crown Dependency. Anthony Cardullo 2013 (USA); It will take a bit of time to find loopholes to appeal. Koh Tao Mayor Chaiyan Thurasakul said the website is accused of damaging Koh Taos reputation by calling it Death Island. [87][88] The protests angered Thailand's prime minister, who believed the demonstrations were a plot "instigated" to hurt the government. [51] This decision was criticised by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group, one of the observers at the trial. Police major general, Surachate Hakparn, said in an interview that the police have cracked down on crime syndicates on Koh Tao since the backpackers double killing. The father of murdered British backpacker Hannah Witheridge has wept as graphic photos of her body lying on a Thai beach were shown in court. Ten days after he went missing from Sairee Beach on Koh Tao, the body of Swiss tourist Hans Peter Suter, 44, was washed ashore at Talay Ngam beach in Lang Suan district of Chumphon province on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. "So for an hour the families of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller looked and listened as crime scene pictures were shown in court.". From: kohtao. The Mirror reports that Hannahs family have pleaded for the photos of the pair, who were brutally murdered on a Thailand beach, to be taken off the internet. The following month Russian Valentina Novozhyonova, 23,vanished from her hostel sparking a police search. "They did a visual post-mortem - just by looking at him they said he died of a broken neck and that his face was looking towards his back. [77], An opinion piece in Bangkok Post wrote that "practically no one believes [Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo] really brutally murdered English tourists", adding "in Thai media of all kinds, the consensus is that Win and Zaw Lin are scapegoats. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. View our online Press Pack. Defence lawyers had asked for the samples to be independently verified but have now been told there is nothing left of them to re-test. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt. "Another one of my sons was there with him, he was absolutely distraught looking at the police just laughing at him. We'll be dignified for David. We are like one big family, weve been through this journey for the past seven years together. [3] The murders were the first cases of homicide on the island in over eight years. Mr Zaw and Mr Wai (also known as Win Zaw Htun), both 22 and migrants from Myanmar, also known as Burma, were arrested several weeks later. They think our country is beautiful and safe and they can do whatever they want, wear bikinis wherever they like, the prime minister said. He said more security cameras would be installed on beaches. Photo from Sept 15 showing a police officer questioning Christopher Alan Ware, who has re-emerged as a leading suspect in the murder of a young British man and woman on Koh Tao on Monday in. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller koh tao, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo koh tao, dimitri povse koh tao, christina annesley koh tao, Valentina Novozhyonova koh tao, luke miller koh tao, Elise Dallemagne koh tao, Bernd grotsch koh tao, Alexandr Bucspun koh tao, The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders and the two faces of evil, The mysterious Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise, Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, The coroner concluded there was not enough evidence to say where or how he met his death. [50], An 18-day trial began on 8 July 2015 in the Koh Samui Provincial Court. The pictures, which News Corp Australia will not reproduce, were taken on the beach at Koh Tao, where the pair was hacked to death with a garden hoe, allegedly by two Burmese men who confessed to the bloody crime then withdrew their confessions. Hiroshi 2002; [1] Police revealed that the samples from Witheridge's body were used up,[62][27] but were able to provide DNA samples from the murder weapon. 2023 BBC. At least eleven European tourists have died or disappeared there since 2014 and it is now described as Death Island or Murder Island. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. There were no witnesses. Rockefeller Audio 2022. Thai beach deaths DNA evidence . CTN News. [29][30] The police initially speculated about who the culprit might be, alleging various individuals of perpetrating the crime without clear evidence. A judge found the workers guilty and sentenced them to death despite questions about DNA evidence and the police handling of the case. Through their own investigation, and talking to witnesses Mr. Annesley discovered that the room where his daughter was staying was given to someone else "three hours after her body was taken. Nick Pearson, 25, was found floating in an island bay, at the foot of a 50ft drop by scuba divers in the sea after he disappeared following a night out with his family on New Year's Eve. She added: "They didn't do any investigation at all. [5][40] The commutation was welcomed by Miller's family. The following morning the family raised the alarm when Nick failed to answer the door. Heightened vigilance has been urged for all countries after two new deadly virus cases were detected in humans in China. [11] The two met in Koh Tao while staying at the same hotel. The families of the young Brits who mysteriously lost their lives in Koh Tao have vowed to find out the truth and say something dodgy is going on., The grieving families have formed a support group following the death of their children on the Thai island, dubbed death island.. Two of the victims were dismembered and disposed of in plastic bags. A 28-year-old British guy. In August 2020, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo had their death sentences commuted to life in prison to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday and to show his "clemency". https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/world/asia/thailand-koh-tao-death-island.html#:~:text=But%20among%20some%20foreigners%2C%20Koh,began%20calling%20it%20Death%20Island.&text=She%20accused%20the%20police%20of,up%20crime%20on%20the%20island. Hannah was raped before she was killed. Both victims had been hit several times on the head; Witheridge had been raped, and Miller had been drowned. How long have Keir Starmer and Sue Gray been secretly cooking up their plot? At the time rumours of secret CCTV footage, inconclusive blood samples and a mysterious Swedish man, made Christinas dad suspicious. [51], The prosecution also claimed the defendants entered the country in violation of the Immigration Act of 1979. They stated they were driven by a desire to rape the victim following sexual arousal when they saw the couple kissing on the beach. A UK autopsy later revealedBen died of a transected aorta a rupture of the bodys largest artery rather than a broken neck. Many raised concerns that contamination cast doubt upon the forensic evidence: officials, journalists and tourists were seen walking around the crime scene, and Thai police did not use trained or independent specialists to collect forensic evidence. 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. Rocio Gomez; Only if they are not beautiful." He later apologised for the comment after it was met with public backlash. In fact, during one 36-hour spell in April last year, nine people were murdered there. His body was found at the beach at the Hillside Resort on Koh Tao, on January 1, 2014. Zaw Lin, front, and Wai Phyo (also known as Win Zaw Htun), rear, arrive at the court in Koh Samui, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, Bakhmut attacks still being repelled, says Ukraine, Zoom boss Greg Tomb fired without cause, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for double murder, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus. The last known video footage of the Russian woman showed her walking to Chaloke Hin Kao bay and never coming back. The court has now been told that vital DNA evidence cannot be retested. We are furious that we have not been able to have an approved independent forensic examination.". Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Taupin was ultimately not allowed to testify by the defence, and these issues were not raised by the defence until their closing statement. [54] They argued that the defendants intended to kill Miller, using a hoe to hit him multiple times on the head. Since then the Samui Times has been inundated with . Their explanations as to why these kids have died just dont add up- you dont have to be a pathologist or a doctor to know what weve been told is nonsensical.. [85][15][86] Prayut said that British and Burmese government representatives were "limited to observation" and had to "respect our processes". A great number of Western backpackers have died under unexplained circumstances on this tiny tropical island in the past years. When Nick Pearson died the police didnt go to his room, they didnt interview anybody. Buy images; Sell images; Lightboxes; [90][91], The 2014 murders, along with other deaths and disappearances of tourists, led to British tabloids labelling Koh Tao as "Death Island". It has a population of around 1,500 people and the main settlement is Ban Mae Hat. [1][47] The national police chief, Somyot Poompanmoung, denied that torture was involved in the confessions. [64], Several CCTV cameras near the crime scene were reported to be nonfunctional, and cameras near the pier were not checked by the police. All times AEDT (GMT +11). The relevant standard in this case was ISO 17025. [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. A millionaire hotel tycoon and his wife have been found dead in a luxury resort on Koh Tao, colloquially known as Death Island. 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. Some of these workers said they can earn more money in Thailand compared to Myanmar. [51] The defence provided a separate explanation for the events on the night. [23] Local residents blocked the pier to prevent the unidentified killers from leaving the island. A backpacker from Belgium, Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanged in the hillson the island on April 28, 2017. Why are the police not thoroughly investigating, why are they changing facts? Buchanan told the Sun Online: They all died in really mysterious circumstances- the Thai version of Christina Annesleys death was that she died of natural causes, she's 23! [47] Thailand's National Human Rights Commission attempted to investigate the allegations, but police representatives did not appear at four scheduled meetings.