Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong had some stern words for China over any role it might play in the war in Ukraine. "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. A 28-year-old British guy. Speaking at the court, Mr Miller's father Ian said he and his wife Sue had come "with an open mind", adding that it had been an emotional time for the family. "They said they were going to cremate him the next day - I had to call the Home Office to stop the cremation. DNA was collected from these three areas and sent to a police forensics lab for analysis. Download videos of River diver on Depositphotos Millions of high-quality, royalty-free stock videos, footage and clips at affordable prices. They still maintain their innocence, as they did throughout the trial. 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). September 23, 2014 5:57 AM EDT 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.. Koh Tao, Thailand, Serial killers, Unexplained murders WARNING CONTAINS SOME DISTURBING IMAGES OF DEATH The island of Koh Tao, off the coast of Thailand, is often described as a paradise. [15] Some migrants who were questioned complained that officers scalded them with boiling water during interrogations, allegations which were denied by the police. They claim they did not receive an autopsy report and say his body was sent against their wishes to the same Bangkok hospital that carried out botched reports on the bodies of two Brits murdered on the same island in 2014. [51][56][57] They argued that the defendants, since they were vulnerable as illegal migrant workers, were scapegoated by the police for the crime. Dimitri Povse 2015; We've all heard about the 2014 backpacker murders of two British tourists in Koh Tao, Thailand. Allegations about police brutality rocked the countrys economy that almost solely relies on tourism. [38] Police entered the home the next day; only one of the men, Zaw Lin, was present. It is not known who released the photos from the crime scene. Direct quotations from the trial are unavailable, as the judges did not permit the public to take notes. [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". The families have opened up in Sky's new documentary, Death On The Beach, saying they believe Thai police covered up what really happened to their loved ones. [1][4][24] Witheridge's body indicated she had been raped. [51] This decision was criticised by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group, one of the observers at the trial. Nick Pearson, 25, was found floating in an island bay, at the foot of a 50ft drop on New Years Day 2014. Read about our approach to external linking. Police recovered the body and took it to the neighboring island of Koh Phangan. [55], The defence claimed that the investigation was flawed due to mishandling of forensic evidence, lack of legal representation during interrogations, use of threats and intimidation to secure a confession, and intimidation of witnesses. He had entered the country on September 26, 2018, before traveling to the island, where stayed at the Monsoon Gym and Fight Club. It has long had a reputation as a home for organized crime, corruption and as a place where the police protected local interests. Witheridge was travelling with three other friends, and Miller with two others. DESPITE its flawless beaches and crystal seas, Thailand has earned a deadly reputation after 60 Brits died there between 2014 and 2016 alone. [42] In the trial, the prosecution said the phone was found smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lin's. Bernd Grotsch 2017; [4][11][14] Their bodies were discovered on Sairee Beach a few hours later, between 4 and 5am, by a mute Burmese beach cleaner. Valentina Novozhenova 2017; Koh Tao is in the Chumphon Archipelago. These included backpackers Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, who were found murdered on the . They weren't looked down upon or treated poorly at all. 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". It has a population of around 1,500 people and the main settlement is Ban Mae Hat. "They won't come forward because they know something is going to happen to them," he added. With crystal-clear waters, perfect sandy beaches, palm trees and great nightlife. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? Amnesty International has demanded the Thai authorities investigate the torture allegations after one suspect reportedly said he was beaten and threatened with electrocution. Hotels near The Heart of Chechnya Hotels near State Gallery named after A. [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". The authorities said he had died after striking the diving board from which he was jumping. She was dedicated, ambitious and would have made an amazing difference to the lives of many families through her chosen career as a Speech and Language Therapist. "I got him home and they had a proper postmortem - most of his bones were broken but the one bone that wasn't broken was his neck and there was no evidence of his face looking towards his back. Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones. The body of his 55-year-old mother was only found later when rescue services arrived at the scene. GermanBernd Grotsch, 47, was found deadat his home deep in the jungle in the Mae Haad part of Koh Tao. 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. 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. Police investigators have released photographs and clearer video footage of an unidentified man they believe could be a key to resolving the Koh Tao double-murder case and are asking the. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. [11], An autopsy revealed that both victims were hit by a hard object resulting in head and face wounds. They said Wai Phyo found the mobile phone dropped on the beach, and so he kept it. [26][27] However, her clothes were not tested for DNA. [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. Available for both RF and RM licensing. At the time rumours of secret CCTV footage, inconclusive blood samples and a mysterious Swedish man, made Christinas dad suspicious. Bernds family in Ingolstadt, Germany, said that the authorities told them he had died of heart failure or had been bitten by a snake. [70] Wai Phyo was also convicted of theft for allegedly stealing a phone and sunglasses from Miller's body. It covers an area of about 21 km2. HARROWING photos of the corpses of English backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have surfaced online, traumatising their families. In pictures: Thailand beach murders Show all 12 It has also been claimed that vital DNA evidence linking the two suspects to the death of Miss Witheridge no longer exists - so cannot be retested.. Hannah was also raped in the attack. Posts on social media said Dallemagne had booked a ticket to Chumphon province, on the mainland, and that her luggage arrived after her death, raising questions of her intentions to take her own life. Phone records showed that Elise called her mother on Skype on April 17, 2017, before leaving Koh Phangan on a Ferry on April 19. The hoe was then used to knock Witheridge unconscious, after which the defendants used force to hold her down and took turns raping her, before killing her with the hoe. Im asking if they wear bikinis in Thailand, will they be safe? We won't comment on the trial process. The bodies of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found on a beach on Koh Tao in September 2014. . The police were under pressure to produce results quickly, which affected how they conducted their investigation. And at least six young Brits have all died in suspicious circumstances on the small island of Koh Tao, leading their loved ones to label it "Death Island". A woman Povse had been interested in said he had called her twice on the phone that night but she had not picked up because she had been asleep. Her mother, Michele claimed that Elise used a fake name of 'Elise Dubuis' to check into the Triple B Bungalows next to Mae Head Pier on Koh Tao. International experts criticized the DNA testing done by the hospital at the time with claims that samples were tampered with in order to falsely incriminate two Burmese workers. In January 2014, 25-year-old Nick Pearson was found dead in the sea below a cliff while visiting the island. [29][30] The police initially speculated about who the culprit might be, alleging various individuals of perpetrating the crime without clear evidence. The government of Thailand was concerned the murders might affect tourism to the island, with arrivals dropping in the months following the murders. Hannah was raped before she was killed. Since then the Samui Times has been inundated with . Create an account. An English human rights activist by the name of Andy Hall asked me to put him in touch with the Melbourne forensic expert, Jane Taupin which I did. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. [87][88] The protests angered Thailand's prime minister, who believed the demonstrations were a plot "instigated" to hurt the government. Some 200 children have died in one nation after taking toxic cough syrups. Ms Witheridge, from Hemsby in Norfolk, and Mr Miller, from Jersey, were murdered on the popular holiday island on September 15. In 2018 in Cancn alone, there were 540 murders. [3] The murders were the first cases of homicide on the island in over eight years. 10 July 2015. The two men deny murdering Miss Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey. Suter had been a regular snorkeler and his death was totally unexplained. "We asked for a copy of the CCTV footage and they said it was destroyed. Picture: Viral Press/Australscope Mr Sachathamakul's wife, Anshoo. We are furious that we have not been able to have an approved independent forensic examination.". Only if they are not beautiful." 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 on September 15, 2014, on the popular Sairee Beah. Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. Friends and family remain suspicious of the police investigation and the insistence that Dimitri committed suicide, especially as his hands were tied behind his back. Koh Tao (also Ko Tao) - literally Turtle Island in the Chumphon Archipelago. Bernd had also recently separated from his wife, Oey, a Koh Tao native, with whom he had a seven-year-old daughter, Bene, who had been living for the last two years with his sister, Monica, in Germany. While police ruled out foul play, Nick's family, who say officers did not investigate a single witness, believe he was murdered. It is always challenging to bring ACCURATE & RELIABLE information about violent crime on Koh Tao because too many people are frightened to speak out publicly and still others try to SHOOT THE MESSENGERS . Owner of Martin Totland Freelance LLC, specializing in event photography, freelance journalism, and Norwegian . Due to the nature of her passing, our beautiful girl has had little privacy. Both entered through the Ranong Province, allegedly without presenting themselves at a port of entry and without possessing a passport. Murder of two backpackers on the island of Koh Tao SAIREE BEACH, KOH TAO, THAILAND - SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 British tourists Hannah Witheridge (23 years old) and David Miller (24 years old) enjoyed their holiday in Thailand on the famous island of Koh Tao. The Koh Tao murders involved the death of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014. 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. Bergen Area, Norway. 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. [21][25] There was tearing present at the vulva, bruising on the perineum, and a bite mark on her right nipple. The prosecution says a DNA match between samples found on Miss Witheridge's body and the two defendants is central to its case. I have created a Facebook page and a YouTube channel dedicated to looking into tourist deaths on Koh Tao.