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. Koh Tao is by far the smallest. Zaw and Wai were each indicted on five charges, including premeditated murder, killing to conceal a criminal offense, rape, illegal entry into Thailand, and staying in the country without permission. The bodies of Mr Miller and Miss Witheridge were found on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao in 2014. He was ultimately arrested a few hours later while hiding on the vessel. [11], An autopsy revealed that both victims were hit by a hard object, resulting in head and face wounds. 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 . Their bodies were found close to the beach bungalows where they had been staying. Zaw Lin was not convicted of this charge because he held a work permit for the two years preceding the murders. He hailed fromJersey, a Crown Dependency, and graduated from Victoria College in 2008. She added, She always got along well on placement. 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. [64], Several CCTV cameras near the crime scene were reported to be nonfunctional, and cameras near the pier were not checked by the police. But it unraveled just as quickly. Backpacker's family 'grateful' for Thai king's clemency - BBC News Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Koh Tao's dark side: dangers of island where Britons were murdered Miller, a year older and from Jersey, one of the U.K.'s Channel. A year after Millers death his parents unveiled a memorial for him, a bench on the north coast of his home island, inscribed, Never let a person sit alone. Hannah Witheridge (left), 23, and David Miller, 24, were killed on the island of Koh Tao on 15 September 2015. [11] The two met in Koh Tao while staying at the same hotel. Burmese people are treated as second-class citizens, says Saksith. Gruesome photos of the bloodied corpses circulated online, either leaked by officials or even taken by passersby. They still maintain their innocence, as they did throughout the trial. "Our thoughts are also with the Witheridge family and the tragic loss of their daughter. Murdered backpacker's family fight against of attackers death The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. This is troubling when set against the allegations of torture made by the accused. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. Powered by. Wai Phyo says officers removed his clothes and left him naked in a freezing room for 20 minutes. They took the victim away in a pickup truck and the barman just got a mop out and cleaned up the blood, he says. But in the early hours of 15 September last year the pair, who were together on the beach after leaving a nearby bar, died next to each other in the most horrific circumstances. [93] Amid the investigation, Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul visited Koh Tao on 28 September 2014 in an attempt to reassure tourists. Witheridge, 23, from Hemsby, near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, was raped and beaten to death. Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were convicted of the . Others labor for long hours under the burning sun farming pineapples, exposed to hazardous doses of pesticides and other chemicals. Thailand backpacker murders: Burmese workers sentenced to death They also. 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. Little wonder the conversational staple of many long-term expats is, These are the worst Thais in Thailand.. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. The seven tourists found dead on Thailand's 'murder island' Vrady Hannah Witheridge a Davida Millera: Kde jsou te Zaw Lin a Wai One of the three suspected individuals was identified as Mau Mau, a local living nearby. [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. [70] Wai Phyo was also convicted of theft for allegedly stealing a phone and sunglasses from Miller's body. Hannah Witheridge & David Miller: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Mr Miller's family said they were "grateful" to the Thai king. Attempts to appeal the sentence failed, but a royal decree was issued by King Vajiralongkorn in 2020 commuting the death sentences to life imprisonment. [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. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller's bodies were found on a beach in Koh Tao in September 2014 Two Burmese migrants convicted over the killings had their death sentences reduced to life. Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, a seaside town on the English east coast, had been raped and killed by blows to the head. Write to Charlie Campbell at charlie.campbell@time.com. [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 balcony of room A5 at Ocean View Bungalows commands one of the finest vistas of Koh Taos sweeping Sairee Beach. They had only been in the country for days before they were murdered. [33][34] Over 200 individuals on the island, many of them migrant workers, were tested in mass DNA testing. Murderers of Brit backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller to be A verdict is expected in October and they could face the death penalty if convicted. (modern). Thai court upholds death penalty over murder of two Britons Its also reported that Witheridge had been raped prior to her death, those reports were later found to be unfounded. [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. [48][35] A 900-page police report was produced to guide the prosecution's case, but the defence were not allowed to see the report until the trial began. That would be absolutely in his character.. DNA testing of casual workers was introduced and many migrants complained of rough interrogations, with some claiming that they were scalded with boiling water. . [94] She suggested using identification wristbands for tourists to improve safety, but the idea was quickly scrapped. The trial drew wide criticism from the international press and human rights groups. According to reports, the investigators had allegedly left them unclothed in freezing rooms and threatened to electrocute them. "Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo finally admitted to the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge and the murder of our son.". Several forensic experts claimed the police collected forensic evidence from the scene dubiously and was not subject to independent oversight or verification. Back on Koh Tao, authorities have scrambled to blot out the tragedy. Sister of murdered backpacker Hannah Witheridge was pregnant when she 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. She was a real natural with them.. With tourism critical to Thailand's e. 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. [61], On July 10, the court ordered the DNA to be retested. Both entered through the Ranong Province, allegedly without presenting themselves at a port of entry and without possessing a passport. Cat-and-mouse chase with China in hotly contested sea, Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. The investigators claimed the semen sample retrieved from Hannahs body and the forensic evidence found on the murder weapons and cigarette butts matched their DNA samples. A royal decree said the sentences had been reviewed to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday on 28 July and to "illustrate the king's clemency". Mr Miller's family said they were "grateful" to the Thai king. As the investigation continues and new evidence emerges, it seems that the . The families of Miller and Witheridge even put out a statement saying the evidence against Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo was powerful and convincing. This assertion was facilitated by the U.K. Foreign Office despite being prejudicial toward the possibility of a fair trial. There are no official figures for the number of expats who call Thailand home, but it likely runs into the hundreds of thousands. One of Wai Phyos former employers, who saw him soon after Sept. 15 and noticed no perceivable change in his demeanor, has refused to be a character witness or be named by TIME. According to reports, the bodies were partially clothed, and the officers also located three cigarette butts and a used condom nearby. David and Hannah were seen together at a local pub called AC Bar with friends on September 14th, according to reports, before they left together at 1:00 am. David Miller, 24. Hannah had been bludgeoned to death a few feet from her room door alongside her fellow British tourist David Miller. Both victims had been hit several times on the head; Witheridge had been raped, and Miller had been drowned. The government of Thailand was concerned the murders might affect tourism to the island, with arrivals dropping in the months following the murders. 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. More recently, a court order to allow Dr. Pornthip to review the DNA evidence was rescinded. White sand beaches, untouched jungles, cloudless skies. The defense lawyers also claimed Wai had found Davids phone on the beach and was traveling by boat to Surat Thani for his new job on the day he was arrested. This is the wild west.. david and hannah thailand crime scene photos - flagpin.com The Case of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller-Death Island They still maintain their innocence, as they did throughout the trial. [59] The defence struggled to find members of the public willing to testify at the trial, as many feared retribution,[1][60] hence their alibi was not considered convincing by the court. Thailand backpacker murders: David Miller and Hannah Witheridge - two [35][84] Despite not initially being permitted to assist with the investigation,[33] British police observers including homicide detectives from the Metropolitan Police and a forensics expert were eventually permitted into Thailand to observe the investigation. [51] This decision was criticised by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group, one of the observers at the trial. Their death sentences were reduced to life in prison after they were . [85][15][86] Prayut said that British and Burmese government representatives were "limited to observation" and had to "respect our processes". "The final admittance of their guilt has allowed this act of clemency to become possible," they continued. Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. The sweet reek of marijuana is commonplace even in prominent beachfront bars, while cocaine and crystal meth, known locally as yaba or crazy drug, are not hard to find, say locals. The officers also charged Wai with stealing Davids mobile phone. [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. The second man, Wai Phyo,[a] was believed to have left the island by boat the previous night. They flee extreme poverty and ethnic violence in Burma (officially now known as Myanmar), the legacy of a half-century of civil war and suffocating military dictatorship. Case 220: Hannah Witheridge & David Miller. I'm asking if they wear bikinis in Thailand, will they be safe? A process of registering irregular Burmese migrant workers has been introduced to tackle the semiofficial bribes, though many say abuses continue unabated. They beat me and put a bag over my head, humiliating me by taking pictures and a video, he said. Hannah Witheridge & David Miller Murders: Where Are Zaw Lin & Wai Phyo Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were brutally murdered while staying on Koh Tao. Case over Hannah Witheridge and David Miller's deaths on Thai island Her family described her asvivacious and someone who loved living.Hannah was due to return to her postgraduate Speech and Language Therapy course at Essex University after her summer break. In a statement, Ian and Sue Miller, who have campaigned against the death penalty, said: "We are grateful to His Majesty the King of Thailand for showing his clemency to the murderers of our son David. [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. Friend of slain tourist flees over 'mafia' threat | Independent.ie "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.". [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". Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? 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. Thai beach murders: Death sentence upheld by Supreme Court All rights reserved. Taupin was ultimately not allowed to testify by the defence, and these issues were not raised by the defence until their closing statement. The family of a British backpacker killed in Thailand have welcomed a decision to commute his murderers' death sentences to life in prison. He later apologised for the comment after it was met with public backlash. Two Burmese workers were sentenced to death in 2015,. 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. 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. Theres no work permit that allows you to work in 15 different locations [under the sea], he says. And the shambolic investigation also didnt help.. One of the men Mau Mau resided nearby. [36] Footage near the crime scene also showed one of the three men running into a shortcut. 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. After unsuccessfully trying to find their possessions, they walked towards Mau Mau's house through the shortcut, which resulted in them being caught on CCTV. One belonged to David, and one belonged to an unknown Asian male. [58] Ostensibly, Wai Phyo changed jobs at the end of September and was travelling by boat to Surat Thani for his new job on the day he was arrested. According to reports, both men were 22-year-old illegal migrant workers from Rakhine, Myanmar, who worked in the hospitality industry. [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". Both men, in their early 30s, are presumed to be serving their sentence in some Thailand prison. Magazines, Digital True Crime: In September of 2014, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Koh Tao's famous Sairee beach, dead. 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. [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. Killed in Thailand: British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. The Supreme Court of Thailandupheld the sentence in August 2019. Turtle Island's Dark Secret: The Case of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller At present, the case rests on DNA evidence linking cigarette butts found around 20 m from the bodies next to a crooked log where Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo admit they were playing guitar and drinking beer on the evening in question. [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. [51][21] The trial was attended by external observers, including representatives from Amnesty International and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. However, the event did not materially affect tourism to the island over the following years. 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. The names of the tourists were first announced in a Sky News tweet. So, if youre interested in finding out more about the case, including the perpetrators identities, heres what we know. Mau Mau claimed he left on his motorcycle and returned home later to find his co-riders asleep. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line. Jej rodina ji popsala jako ivouc" a nkoho, kdo rd . 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. 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. 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. [11][19] Several other suspects were also named, amid pressure to produce results, a new one every other day. RIP, Christian May (@christianrmay) September 15, 2014. [54] They argued that the defendants intended to kill Miller, using a hoe to hit him multiple times on the head. 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. However, the defense counsel argued all the evidence against the defendants was circumstantial, and the police had no known eyewitness to the murders. Since then, he had managed to send back almost $2,000 to help his destitute family. Sister, 30, of murdered backpacker Hannah Witheridge dies [1][47] The national police chief, Somyot Poompanmoung, denied that torture was involved in the confessions. 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. 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. 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.