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. Thai king commutes Myanmar men's death sentence over Britons' murder Both men, in their early 30s, are presumed to be serving their sentence in some Thailand prison. Thailands forensics chief, Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand, has said that by not using trained specialists, police contradicted the principles of forensic science.. Like the Millers, the Witheridge family initially offered no comment on worries about a miscarriage of justice after the arrested men said they had been tortured to extract confessions. Case 220: Hannah Witheridge & David Miller : r/Casefile - Reddit 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. But it unraveled just as quickly. 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 . 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. One of the three suspected individuals was identified as Mau Mau, a local living nearby. grassroots elite basketball ; why does ted lasso have a southern accent . ; [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. A mute Burmese beach cleaner discovered the bodies shortly after dawn the following morning at Ocean View Bungalows. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. David worked as an intern in the St Helier offices of the Australian mining company Consolidated Minerals. [31] A British defence lawyer, Felicity Gerry QC, said the trial was "far too rushed and unfair to the defense". 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. The officers also charged Wai with stealing Davids mobile phone. Thoughts and prayers with his family and friends. People come to Thailand to get away from it all. Magazines, Digital Thai beach murders: Hannah Witheridge's sister Laura dies in hospital True Crime: In September of 2014, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Koh Tao's famous Sairee beach, dead. "[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". Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Is climate change killing Australian wine? Possessing no official status or documents, their vulnerability is extreme, and complaints of rape, extortion and physical violence are legion. Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have been named as the two tourists who chopped up by a hoe in Thailand. 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. A post-mortem examination showed she had been raped. Hannah met David Miller by chance when they and their friends stayed in adjoining rooms of the Ocean View Bungalows, a small backpacker complex overlooking the white sand sweep of Sairee beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao. According to the BBC, staff from the British embassy left for Koh Tao soon after the news broke of the murders. [5][6] Both were students who were backpacking in Thailand. funny ways to say home run grassroots elite basketball Menu . [20] Both bodies were found semi-naked;[21] a pile of clothes was found nearby. ITV reports that the suspect may be a friend of either Witheridge or Miller. They took the victim away in a pickup truck and the barman just got a mop out and cleaned up the blood, he says. Thailand backpacker murders: David Miller and Hannah Witheridge - two Migrant workers convicted of murdering Hannah Witheridge and David Millers family also travelled to Koh Samui, the larger island near Koh Tao where the trial was held, to see some of the evidence. hannah witheridge and david miller [61], On July 10, the court ordered the DNA to be retested. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 22-year-old ethnic Rakhine from Burmas restive Arakan state, were arrested on Oct. 2. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. Nevertheless, few have rallied to the defense of the accused. 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. Some of these workers said they can earn more money in Thailand compared to Myanmar. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. These samples purportedly match those retrieved from Witheridges corpse. Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found dead on the island of Koh Tao on 15 September last year. They threatened to kill me, saying: We can throw you into the sea and feed your corpse to the fish.. 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. 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