The owner of a 5 star hotel in Phuket and his wife were found dead at the bottom of their hotel swimming pool on the island of Koh Tao on Friday afternoon. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt. In fact, during one 36-hour spell in April last year, nine people were murdered there. [3] The murders were the first cases of homicide on the island in over eight years. "Then I started thinking what's going on here?". Hannah Witheridge was seen walking through Koh Tao with a group of friends - all of whom are thought to be British - just hours before being brutally murdered +17 View gallery The 23-year-old. In 2018 in Cancn alone, there were 540 murders. The court has now been told that vital DNA evidence cannot be retested. Read about our approach to external linking. 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.. [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. [51], The prosecution also claimed the defendants entered the country in violation of the Immigration Act of 1979. A millionaire hotel tycoon and his wife have been found dead in a luxury resort on Koh Tao, colloquially known as Death Island. They also raised concerns with the absence of legal counsel prior to the confession, as well as difficulties with translation and interpretation. The authorities said he had died after striking the diving board from which he was jumping. [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". [11], An autopsy revealed that both victims were hit by a hard object resulting in head and face wounds. The relevant standard in this case was ISO 17025. "They won't come forward because they know something is going to happen to them," he added. [21][25] There was tearing present at the vulva, bruising on the perineum, and a bite mark on her right nipple. Police concluded she wanted to break a deep-diving record at more than 24 meters. We've all heard about the 2014 backpacker murders of two British tourists in Koh Tao, Thailand. He later apologised for the comment after it was met with public backlash. 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.. 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. CONFESSION WITHDRAWN: Burmese suspect claims he was beaten, tortured by police. Four months later, eight bodies were found after a cartel murder spree. On February 16, 2015, Russian tourist Valentina Novozhyonova, 23, vanished from her hostel on Koh Tao. The body had to be identified using dental records and previous X-rays. He had recently returned to the island after building up a motorbike rental business. There were no witnesses. The images shown to the court were graphic, reports Jonah Fisher in Thailand. I just listened to your full podcast about Koh Tao with considerable interest. "There was no compassion at all- he had to go down to identify the body which he couldn't do and while he was sitting there the police were just laughing. World put on alert as deadly virus spreads, Hundreds dead in horror cough syrup tragedy. They told me 'you need to stop reporting on it if you want to stay here, they are getting fed up with you now, No one put a gun to my head but I was told by multiple sources that if I didnt stop reporting on it thered be trouble- it wasnt safe for me anymore.". Frenchman, Dimitri Povse, 29, was found hanging from the beam of a rented house on January 1, 2015. There were apparently no signs of robbery or attack in the room at the hotel where Alexandr had been staying. 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. After searching, All rights reserved. "[56] Attempts to appeal the sentence to the High Court in 2017 were unsuccessful. Owner of Martin Totland Freelance LLC, specializing in event photography, freelance journalism, and Norwegian . Eight days later locals living near Tanote Bay found Elise's body after becoming suspicious of a monitor lizard going back and forth into the jungle. Anthony Cardullo 2013 (USA); He also had given no indications before his death, that he had suicidal thoughts. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Belgian backpacker Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanging from a tree on April 27, 2017. Koh tao murders Stock Photos and Images (50) See koh tao murders stock video clips RM 2D0FFR6 - A police searches for clues near the spot where bodies of two killed British tourists were found, on the island of Koh Tao September 19, 2014. 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. See the latest list of Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30320196. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. Doubts lingered over the conviction of two migrant Burmese workers for the rape and murders, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo (also known as Win Zaw Htun). [51] The defence provided a separate explanation for the events on the night. Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. She had checked into the hostel on February 11 and was due to check out on February 16, but failed to do so. 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. The island is small and gifted with loads of hidden gems and completely deserted bays. Bergen Area, Norway. [54] They argued that the defendants intended to kill Miller, using a hoe to hit him multiple times on the head. But many cases appear very suspicious according to family members and insufficiently investigated. British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found dead Monday, September 15, on a beach in Koh Tao, a popular resort island in Thailand. Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones. 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. From: kohtao. With crystal-clear waters, perfect sandy beaches, palm trees and great nightlife. [67][21][68] The conviction was primarily guided by the DNA evidence,[67][69] and the court said it did not consider their confessions in making the judgement. Hotel owner Rakeshwar Sachathamakul has been found dead along with his wife in a luxury resort on Koh Tao. It was said the pair went swimming on the same beach earlier that night, and when they got out of the water they found their clothes had disappeared. Photograph: Alamy. [33][34] Over 200 individuals on the island, many of them migrant workers, were tested in mass DNA testing. Miller had scratches on his back and water in his lungs indicating drowning. Their bodies were found on a beach on the island of Koh Tao last September. [15] Experts have considered the forensic investigation to have been incompetent, and to have possibly framed the suspects. Attempts to appeal the sentence failed, but a royal decree was issued by King Vajiralongkorn in 2020 commuting the death sentences to life imprisonment. The suspects were initially denied access to legal counsel, and alleged that police used torture and threats to secure a confession. [2] In 2014, the island had a population of around 5,000 locals. Elewana Tortilis camp is situated in the Western part of the Amboseli ecosystem, in the 30.0000-acre Kitirua Conservancy, bordering the Amboseli National Park in Kenya. 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. He originally moved to the island in the late 1990s but left in 2016 after becoming frustrated with the corruption and hostility towards foreign business owners. I should add that I was not representing the accused men so I am not presenting arguments on their behalf in any lawyer/client relationship. Controversially, Surat Thani governor Auaychai Innak dismissed as untrue some foreign news reports which claimed reptiles had eaten half of Dallemagne's body. The items were still there are 3 am and he called the police. The head of the country's Central Institute of Forensic Science found that the DNA on the hoe did not match the defendants. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Heightened vigilance has been urged for all countries after two new deadly virus cases were detected in humans in China. 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. 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. The country's prime minister, who had been phoning the national police chief daily for updates on the investigation, said "this should not have happened at all, as it will affect Thailand in the eyes of the international community". 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. Direct quotations from the trial are unavailable, as the judges did not permit the public to take notes. The investigation of the Witheridge and Miller slayings was widely criticized as the crime scene was not properly secured, and questions were also raised about subsequent DNA testing. Chrissie's heartbroken dad Boyne Annesley started investigating more deaths in Koh Tao. From the beginning, the Thai police had difficulty securing the crime scene. A judge found the workers guilty and sentenced them to death despite questions about DNA evidence and the police handling of the case. 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. The coroner concluded there was not enough evidence to say where or how he met his death. Most mainstream media provide only superficial accounts of what has been happening on the island and their published information is often inaccurate and understated the seriousness of the situation. I am a legal practitioner in Perth, Western Australia who has been following events on Koh Tao very closely since the time of the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on 15 September 2014. While collecting forensic evidence, tourists and locals were allowed to walk on the beach. 10 July 2015. Martin Totland Frilans. [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".