While Weegee is well known and has work in places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, most of the pictures here come from a junk store box . [28], Due to concerns the murders might affect foreign tourism into Thailand, the national authorities sought to expedite the investigation into the murders. The police investigation and criminal trial were widely criticised by international media, human rights organisations, and legal experts. But, he said that most of these would have been present prior to his death, although he could not completely rule out the possibility that Nick had been attacked. [79] Rumours began to circulate, with residents on the island saying the island is controlled by a mafia who "have information about the true culprits", and claimed that the police is covering for them. A judge found the workers guilty and sentenced them to death despite questions about DNA evidence and the police handling of the case. Expats dont want to lose their time in paradise, Earley tells Time, as its cheap, its nice living, and its very easy to ignore what happens". He said at the time: "We don't know how or why she died. 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. On September 20, 1988, Tara Calico left her home in New Mexico to go on a bike ride she took, In November 1981, actress Natalie Wood mysteriously drowned off the coast of Southern California during a boating trip with her, In July 2014, 52 year old Lynn Messer mysteriously disappeared from her familys 260-acre farm in Bloomsdale, Missouri. Shelley Bot 2017; The Thaiger 116K subscribers Join Subscribe 712 Share 29K views 10 months ago #thailand #kohtao #thailandtourist We've all heard. [36] Footage near the crime scene also showed one of the three men running into a shortcut. They raped and killed Hannah, and killed David who was attempting to fight them off. Picture: Viral Press/Australscope The circumstances around his death are a mystery. He had been dead about 10 days and had left to go snorkeling alone on November 8. Koh Tao Murders March 28, 2022 courtneyjfretwell Uncategorized 1 Comment In September 2014, two European backpackers, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found murdered on Sairee Beach on Thailand's island of Koh Tao. 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. Yoshie Sazawa (Sharlyn) 2004; But behind paradise lies a grubby underbelly where, according to one report, there are "enough suspicious disappearances to warrant the island its own CSI franchise". 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. Direct quotations from the trial are unavailable, as the judges did not permit the public to take notes. But although David's family called the verdict 'justice', the trial of the two Burmese migrant workers was plagued by accusations of human rights abuses. Photo from Sept 15 showing a police officer questioning Christopher Alan Ware, who has re-emerged as a leading suspect in the murder of a young British man and woman on Koh Tao on Monday in. It's dangerous. However, according to Rhys Bonney, an immigration adviser to expats in Thailand, the legality of the businesses are an extremely grey area. Valentina Novozhenova 2017; Their parents must be going through hell just like we are and we have been for the last almost two years. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. 0. The head of the country's Central Institute of Forensic Science found that the DNA on the hoe did not match the defendants. [51] This decision was criticised by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group, one of the observers at the trial. "In view of what's happened to David Miller and Hannah Witheridge and various other people I've read about, it just all leads to the same thing. But Elise had disappeared. Both entered through the Ranong Province, allegedly without presenting themselves at a port of entry and without possessing a passport. I have created a Facebook page and a YouTube channel dedicated to looking into tourist deaths on Koh Tao. [1] Police revealed that the samples from Witheridge's body were used up,[62][27] but were able to provide DNA samples from the murder weapon. They had no prior criminal records. GRAPHIC crime scene photos showing the corpses of English backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have surfaced online, traumatising their families. Koh Tao was plunged into the spotlight when the semi-naked bodies of backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on a beach. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. Photographs of the bodies . British woman, Christina Annesley, 23, was found in a room at the In Touch Resort on Jan 21, 2015. His body was found at the beach at the Hillside Resort on Koh Tao, on January 1, 2014. [38] Police entered the home the next day; only one of the men, Zaw Lin, was present. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. But among some foreigners, Koh Tao has taken on a more sinister reputation. 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. Hannah was a fun, vibrant and beautiful young woman who will be sorely missed by all who knew her. 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. [54] They argued that the defendants intended to kill Miller, using a hoe to hit him multiple times on the head. Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. 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. 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. Amnesty International has demanded the Thai authorities investigate the torture allegations after one suspect reportedly said he was beaten and threatened with electrocution. Ben Harrington 2012; 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. [15], Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo retracted their statements following a visit from a consular lawyer for Myanmar and said they had made their statements under duress, after they had allegedly been beaten, left naked in a freezing room, and threatened with electrocution and an extrajudicial killing. Hannah, 23, from Hemsby, Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found dead on the island of Koh Tao on September 15. 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 images shown to the court were graphic, reports Jonah Fisher in Thailand. In August 2020, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo had their death sentences commuted to life in prison to commemorate King Vajiralongkorn's birthday and to show his "clemency". Hannah was raped before she was killed. A few days later, staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind. The university graduate, who was two weeks. [48], The guilty verdict resulted in widespread protests in Myanmar. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. [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". Thailand's paradise island murder mystery continues to baffle police, BBC's south-east Asia correspondent reports from Koh Tao. But although David's family called the verdict 'justice', the trial. Their findings were never made public, but were shared with the families of the victims. She was said to have died of natural causes after mixing antibiotics she was taking for a chest infection with alcohol. Hannah was also revelling in her time staying at Sairee Beach with another group of travelling companions. Photo: Royal Thai Police . 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. 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. Unfortunately more tragic news from the so called Death Island of Koh Tao occurred recently when on June 4th 2021 the 2 lifeless bodies of a Thai/Indian billionaire couple were found dead in the Jamahkhiri Resort & Spa hotel pool. Police recovered the body and took it to the neighboring island of Koh Phangan. Only if they are not beautiful." 'A perfect job' Authorities remain steadfast in their conviction they've found those responsible. Blood on the floor of the feedroom where Paul Murdaugh was shot dead. Alexandr Bucspun, 33, from Moldova, was found dead in the sea off Had Sai Ree on Koh Tao on Tuesday, October 9, 2018. Here's a timeline of the other suspicious deaths and disappearances on Koh Tao: On New Year's Day, 2014, before the Miller and Witheridge case first brought infamy to Koh Tao, 25-year-old Brit Nick Pearson was found dead in the water not far from the scene of that subsequent double murder. In September 2014, two European backpackers, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found murdered on Sairee Beach on Thailands island of Koh Tao. [7] Witheridge had completed undergraduate studies in education at the University of East Anglia and had started post-graduate studies in speech and language therapy at the University of Essex. But her parents slammed Thai authorities for failing to investigate the death. [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. However, no toxicology report was conducted. Associate Professor Charnkanit Krittiya Suriyamanee, a criminologist and lecturer at the faculty of social science and humanities of Mahidol University, said he doubted the suicide theory citing some irrelevant evidences, according to Chiangrai Times. The family of some of the deceased - including three more Brits - have accused local cops of not investigating the deaths of their loved ones. The island became world news when two British backpackers, David Miller and Hannah Witheridge were brutally murdered on the island in 2014. [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. Local police claimed he had fallen 50 feet and . Nick Pearson 2014; 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. Nick Pearson, 25, was found floating in an island bay, at the foot of a 50ft drop by scuba divers in the sea after he disappeared following a night out with his family on New Year's Eve. [94] She suggested using identification wristbands for tourists to improve safety, but the idea was quickly scrapped. 2 minutes read. The discovery of the bodies last September sparked a major police investigation and intense local and international pressure to find those responsible. Police concluded she wanted to break a deep-diving record at more than 24 meters. [74], The investigation was met with criticism by international media, human rights groups, and legal experts. British Bricklayer Luke Miller, 26, was found at the bottom of a swimming pool at the Sunset Bar at Sairee Beach on January 6, 2016. Thai police say the man on the left matches the one seen acting suspiciously on CCTV A Scottish man is being kept in protective custody in Thailand after a photo he took could identify the. 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. The families of Miss Witheridge and Mr Miller are now returning to the UK. Guardian. [5][40] The commutation was welcomed by Miller's family. [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. [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. Frenchman, Dimitri Povse, 29, was found hanging from the beam of a rented house on January 1, 2015. Im asking if they wear bikinis in Thailand, will they be safe? The victims have been named by Thai authorities as 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge from Great Yarmouth . warriors: come out to play board game; be quiet dark rock pro 4 vs noctua nh-d15; ridgeview road house cursed items; pan seared yellowfin tuna recipes [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. Also, he noted that the several pieces of rope which were used in the suspected suicide appeared to be different which might suggest that the death was not caused by suicide. It will take a bit of time to find loopholes to appeal. Samyak Choudhary; and David Miller 2014; [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. While he claimed she "kissed the gun" and that it was an accidental suicide, others - including . The Murders The two people killed were Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. [10], Witheridge and Miller travelled and arrived on the island separately on 25 August. 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. [92], Thailand's government became concerned the murders may affect tourism to the country. Elise went 1.5 miles (2.5km) through the jungle to Tanote Bay and took a room at the Poseidon Resort where she booked another ticket for Bangkok leaving on April 24. The defendants have repeatedly stated their innocence over the murders, with the defence alleging they were framed. [71], A lawyer for the men, Nakhon Chomphuchat, said "we will appeal as soon as we can, we have just got a copy of the court's verdict. 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. By Thomas Fuller. Witheridge was travelling with three other friends, and Miller with two others. Hannah was a University of Essex student from Hemsby in Norfolk, UK, and David was a civil and structural engineering graduate, from Jersey. 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. I just listened to your full podcast about Koh Tao with considerable interest. Taupin was ultimately not allowed to testify by the defence, and these issues were not raised by the defence until their closing statement. There were no signs of a struggle or rape or other human DNA. Bernd's cousin Christina said: ''We cannot accept what the Thai authorities on the island are telling us. They also found a suicide note at the scene. [31] A British defence lawyer, Felicity Gerry QC, said the trial was "far too rushed and unfair to the defense". The second man, Wai Phyo,[a] was believed to have left the island by boat the previous night. The island of Koh Tao, off the coast of Thailand, is often described as a paradise. She was later identified by dental records and previous x-rays. [38] Both men were 22-year-old illegal migrant workers from Rakhine, Myanmar, who worked in the hospitality industry. [90][91], The 2014 murders, along with other deaths and disappearances of tourists, led to British tabloids labelling Koh Tao as "Death Island". Bernd Grotsch 2017; 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 View gallery The 23-year-old is. There have been suspicious reports of hand-sized bruises found on Lukes shoulders. Controversially, Surat Thani governor Auaychai Innak dismissed as untrue some foreign news reports which claimed reptiles had eaten half of Dallemagne's body. Rocio Gomez; The coroner concluded there was not enough evidence to say where or how he met his death. HARROWING photos of the corpses of English backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller have surfaced online, traumatising their families. It has long had a reputation as a home for organized crime, corruption and as a place where the police protected local interests. But an unexplained fire that evening burned down three bamboo huts - including the one Elise had been staying in. This led to dozens of charges accusing Alex Murdaugh of stealing nearly $5million in settlement money from lawyers who sued him over the death.. Photographs appear to show the mobile phone of Hannah Witheridge submitted to police by her friends, despite police claims it was found in one of their suspect's possession. But they were skeptical and he was fit and healthy at the time of his death. Both victims had been hit several times on the head; Witheridge had been raped, and Miller had been drowned. 2040 / 2557, Regional Court of Appeal VIII No. They also raised concerns with the absence of legal counsel prior to the confession, as well as difficulties with translation and interpretation. [1][4][24] Witheridge's body indicated she had been raped. 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. The young backpacker had been living at a yoga and tantra retreat, which neighboured the party island of Koh Phangan, in between travelling round Asia, for two years. 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