The university graduate, who was two weeks into a four-month backpacking trip round South East Asia, was found dead on her bungalow in January 2015. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo (also known as Win Zaw Htun). The last known video footage of the Russian woman showed her walking to Chaloke Hin Kao bay and never coming back. The Backpacker Murders of Koh Tao. What really happened there? The families of Miss Witheridge and Mr Miller are now returning to the UK. Koh Tao (also Ko Tao) - literally Turtle Island in the Chumphon Archipelago. For other inquiries, Contact Us. A backpacker from Belgium, Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanged in the hillson the island on April 28, 2017. It followed her reporting on the case of a British girl who was allegedly raped on the same beach. [52] The suspects were defended pro bono by two lawyers from the Lawyers Council of Thailand. They think our country is beautiful and safe and they can do whatever they want, wear bikinis wherever they like, the prime minister said. "Thai courts make little allowance for the feelings of relatives," he said. [42] In the trial, the prosecution said the phone was found smashed at the home of a friend of Zaw Lin's. The murders on Koh Tao, a laid-back haven for divers, sullied Thailand's image in the tourism industry, which accounts for about 10 per cent of the country's economy. Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones. [29][30] The police initially speculated about who the culprit might be, alleging various individuals of perpetrating the crime without clear evidence. 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.. Hi there! [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. 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The suspects however have withdrawn their confessions to the murders and claimed Thai police forced the admissions through torture. She was said to have died of natural causes after mixing antibiotics she was taking for a chest infection with alcohol. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. 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! Since then the Samui Times has been inundated with . We won't comment on the trial process. 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. joanromans.com Informacin detallada del sitio web y la empresa Witnesses said items belonging to the Moldovan were seen in the early hours of Tuesday morning and police were alerted. For example, she discovered that one of the DNA labs that conducted tests at the time only had accreditation to do paternity tests and not criminal profiling in a capital murder case. Island authorities sued the online news site for violating the Computer Crime Act, which outlaws uploading false information online. We are furious that we have not been able to have an approved independent forensic examination.". Miller had scratches on his back and water in his lungs indicating drowning. Aran Klaewklong, a security guard from Big Blue Diving shop, told police he found a mobile phone, clothes, a hotel key, shoes and an ID on the beach at 1.30 am during a beach patrol. 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). He had been dead about 10 days and had left to go snorkeling alone on November 8. 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. "They said they were going to cremate him the next day - I had to call the Home Office to stop the cremation. CTN News. [48], The guilty verdict resulted in widespread protests in Myanmar. [3] The murders were the first cases of homicide on the island in over eight years. Only if they are not beautiful." 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. Hannah was raped before she was killed. Mr Miller's body was discovered with severe head injuries several metres away, he said. We'll be dignified for David. [47][75][12] Human Rights Watch said the case was "profoundly disturbing" and called for the verdict to be reviewed in a "transparent and fair appeal process". 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.". GRAPHIC crime scene photos showing the corpses of English backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have surfaced online, traumatising their families. Police recovered the body and took it to the neighboring island of Koh Phangan. [23] Local residents blocked the pier to prevent the unidentified killers from leaving the island. Thai beach murders: Death sentence upheld by Supreme Court What really happened there? But many cases appear very suspicious according to family members and insufficiently investigated. Sun 23 Nov 2014 10.54 EST. Bangkok to Koh Tao - Bus, Train, Ferry & Flight Options - ASocialNomad There were no signs he was suicidal. [11] The two met in Koh Tao while staying at the same hotel. While police ruled out foul play, Nick's family, who say officers did not investigate a single witness, believe he was murdered. 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. [11][19] Several other suspects were also named, amid pressure to produce results, a new one every other day. The family claimed the circumstances surrounding his death and the local police's refusal to co-operate with them have led them to believe the death is "suspicious". Im asking if they wear bikinis in Thailand, will they be safe? Photograph: Alamy. [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. Or is Koh Tao just unlucky for visitors or is there something more sinister happening on the beautiful Thai island and haven for Scuba divers? The past three weeks have been unimaginably difficult and there are no words that can adequately describe the heartache and despair that our family is experiencing. [76], The International Commission of Jurists said "the defense must be afforded adequate time and facilities to explore whether the alleged destruction of evidence in this case was appropriate and unavoidable, and to test the prosecution case overall." [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]. "So for an hour the families of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller looked and listened as crime scene pictures were shown in court.". There were apparently no signs of robbery or attack in the room at the hotel where Alexandr had been staying. GermanBernd Grotsch, 47, was found deadat his home deep in the jungle in the Mae Haad part of Koh Tao. 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. Investigators had no theory to explain her unexpected stopover on Koh Tao on her way back to the mainland and the capital Bangkok. Picture: Viral Press/Australscope The second man, Wai Phyo,[a] was believed to have left the island by boat the previous night. How long have Keir Starmer and Sue Gray been secretly cooking up their plot? "As long as I can breathe I will keep trying to find answers.". Koh Tao Cabana - UPDATED Prices, Reviews & Photos (Thailand) - Villa Part of the reason for coming out, was to go to Koh Tao. 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. Alexandr Bucspun, 33, from Moldova, was found dead in the sea off Had Sai Ree on Koh Tao on Tuesday, October 9, 2018. Bangkok Post - Topic Thailand Vs Indonesia Odi Live Streaming [1][15][16] Miller's body was found floating in the water, and Witheridge's on the beach;[17] the bodies lay approximately 20 metres apart and 30 metres away from their hotel (Ocean View Bungalows). Belgian backpacker Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanging from a tree on April 27, 2017. It is believed they were tortured, then burned, before being chopped . Create an account. Derby coroner Louise Pinder said there was not enough evidence to say how he died and recorded an open verdict. On Thursday the 29 th of August 2019, the Supreme Court of Thailand handed down its decision to uphold the death penalties for Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, the Burmese migrant workers found guilty of the rape and murder of British holidaymaker Hannah Witheridge and the murder of fellow countryman David Miller in September 2014 on Koh Tao in Thailand. Japan high court approves posthumous retrial of man over 1984 murder koh tao murders crime scene photos - Sozyaz.com Best Contents 2023 - 2022 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. There were no signs of a struggle or rape or other human DNA. We are like one big family, weve been through this journey for the past seven years together. [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". [51][56][57] They argued that the defendants, since they were vulnerable as illegal migrant workers, were scapegoated by the police for the crime. The mysterious Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise Attempted murder by Thai diving instructor, Santi Khokpool in the Fishbowl Beach Bar, Koh Tao on 28-year-old British tourist on 15 August 2020. The governor of the island said he had instructed the district chief to file criminal charges against the local online news outlet Samui Times in 2017 after it ran an article that questioned the police account of deaths and referred to Koh Tao as Death Island. [15] Some migrants who were questioned complained that officers scalded them with boiling water during interrogations, allegations which were denied by the police. His family accused the Thai police of a cover-up. Agent pastime hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy The following month Russian Valentina Novozhyonova, 23,vanished from her hostel sparking a police search. 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.. A UK autopsy later revealedBen died of a transected aorta a rupture of the bodys largest artery rather than a broken neck. Buchanan who left Thailand in 2016 after receiving death threats for her reporting, reached out to the victims' families and formed a support group. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. The coroner concluded there was not enough evidence to say where or how he met his death. 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. [10], Witheridge and Miller travelled and arrived on the island separately on 25 August. 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". Elise's mother Michele van Egten says she does not believe the Thai police's version of events amid fears authorities are working to suppress speculation about the many murders on the island. Now their families are demanding answers. The more I was getting involved, the more I was reporting, the more upset the Thais would get," she added. The body had to be identified using dental records and previous X-rays. The Samui Times believes that it is in the best interests of any visitor to the island to be aware of the numerous tourist deaths and the fact that many families of those who died on the island are not satisfied with police investigations.. He later apologised for the comment after it was met with public backlash. We had one day on Koh Tao, it was really hard.". Some were murdered, some died in suspicious circumstances and some died in avoidable accidents. [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. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt. Suzanne Buchanan Exposes The Sinister Truth Behind "The Backpacker Death sentences in Koh Tao killings commuted. However, the event did not materially affect tourism to the island over the following years. 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 have no proof that Ben was murdered. Attempts to appeal the sentence failed, but a royal decree was issued by King Vajiralongkorn in 2020 commuting the death sentences to life imprisonment. 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. Thailand is one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations with around 35 million visitors each year and promotes itself as the Land of Smiles. The government is sensitive to criticism that could undermine the countrys reputation. Read about our approach to external linking. Hanspeter Suter 2014; 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. [61], On July 10, the court ordered the DNA to be retested. Buy images; Sell images; Lightboxes; Samui Times defended its reporting in an online post. There were no witnesses. The DNA analysis in the case, which was not subject to independent oversight or verification, was provided to the court as a one-page summary with four supporting pages, some of it handwritten with amendments. We beg that Hannah and David are afforded privacy and dignity through the removal of these pointless and insensitive reminders. While police claimed that she hanged herself, mystery surrounded her death, as it was revealed she used a fake name at the hostel she was staying. I was told on more than one occasion that I needed to take down this stuff from the paper. 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. 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. Our kids all died on Koh Tao 'death island' - cops claim they were accidents but we think they were MURDERED Aliki Kraterou Published: 13:58, 19 Mar 2022 Updated: 15:34, 19 Mar 2022 The. 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. Thai murders: Backpacker killers face execution | Herald Sun It doesn't necessarily mean they are transgender, or that they are doing drag, they just live as women. 2040 / 2557", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Koh_Tao_murders&oldid=1135707447, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 10:00. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. 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. Koh Tao murders - Wikipedia Amnesty International has demanded the Thai authorities investigate the torture allegations after one suspect reportedly said he was beaten and threatened with electrocution. 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. Yearly, many professional photographers visit this lodge to capture herds of elephants crossing the dry lake in search of water . It would be impossible, some of the boulders are so big they would have stopped him but he didnt have a single broken bone. 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. The economy of the island is almost exclusively centered on tourism, especially scuba diving. 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. 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. They also raised concerns with the absence of legal counsel prior to the confession, as well as difficulties with translation and interpretation. [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. And the same goes for Luke Millers mum Sara Cotton. [92], Thailand's government became concerned the murders may affect tourism to the country. [20] Both bodies were found semi-naked;[21] a pile of clothes was found nearby. [10][32] They highlighted a British tourist who had shared a room with Miller as a suspect, labelling it a "crime of passion"; he became the subject of a nationwide manhunt before the police quickly dropped the lead. Irregular Burmese migrant workers were now required to register with the police in an attempt to discourage illegal workers and prevent bribery. Koh Tao Murders: Is Koh Tao Safe in 2023? - Traveltomtom.net 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". Six weeks on . The real story of the 2014 Koh Tao Murders : r/myfavoritemurder - Reddit In December 2015, the pair were convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. Top Rotherham Self-Guided Tours & Rentals: See reviews and photos of Self-Guided Tours & Rentals in Rotherham, England on Tripadvisor.