The island of Koh Tao is located in Southern Thailand. While police ruled out foul play, Nick's family, who say officers did not investigate a single witness, believe he was murdered. wordlist = ['!', '$.027', '$.03', '$.054/mbf', '$.07', '$.07/cwt', '$.076', '$.09', '$.10-a-minute', '$.105', '$.12', '$.30', '$.30/mbf', '$.50', '$.65', '$.75', '$. With crystal clear water and stunning greenery, the Thai island of Koh Tao is seen as a backpacker haven. There were apparently no signs of robbery or attack in the room at the hotel where Alexandr had been staying. [35][84] Despite not initially being permitted to assist with the investigation,[33] British police observers including homicide detectives from the Metropolitan Police and a forensics expert were eventually permitted into Thailand to observe the investigation. The official story is they were walking back to their hotel at night and were jumped by 2 Burmese men. All times AEDT (GMT +11). [11] The two met in Koh Tao while staying at the same hotel. The Koh Tao murders involved the death of two British tourists in Thailand in 2014. 'A perfect job' Authorities remain steadfast in their conviction they've found those responsible. They also raised concerns with the absence of legal counsel prior to the confession, as well as difficulties with translation and interpretation. The . [54] They argued that the defendants intended to kill Miller, using a hoe to hit him multiple times on the head. 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. 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. 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. The images shown to the court were graphic, reports Jonah Fisher in Thailand. While he claimed she "kissed the gun" and that it was an accidental suicide, others - including . Christina Annesley, 23, was one of the many young Brits who sadly died in Koh Tao. The items were still there are 3 am and he called the police. 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. Amnesty International has demanded the Thai authorities investigate the torture allegations after one suspect reportedly said he was beaten and threatened with electrocution. This led to dozens of charges accusing Alex Murdaugh of stealing nearly $5million in settlement money from lawyers who sued him over the death.. 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". [25] There were no known eyewitnesses to the murders. Measuring 21 square kilometres (8sqmi) in area, it is the smallest of three popular tourist islands in the Gulf of Thailand. Hannah Witheridge 2014; Picture: Viral Press/Australscope Mr Sachathamakul's wife, Anshoo. Zaw Lin was not convicted of this charge because he held a work permit for the two years preceding the murders. With crystal-clear waters, perfect sandy beaches, palm trees and great nightlife. 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. However, according to Rhys Bonney, an immigration adviser to expats in Thailand, the legality of the businesses are an extremely grey area. The suspects however have withdrawn their confessions to the murders and claimed Thai police forced the admissions through torture. The teen's body was found seven days after the boating accident. Deaths have been explained away by the authorities as unfortunate accidents or suicides. [80][81], The Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha, said "[foreign female tourists] think our country is beautiful and safe and they can do whatever they want, wear bikinis wherever they like. 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. The Death Of Lana Clarkson. Samui Times defended its reporting in an online post. Bernds family in Ingolstadt, Germany, said that the authorities told them he had died of heart failure or had been bitten by a snake. Coincidentally, pictures of Bernd with a snake were to be found online. At least eleven European tourists have died or disappeared there since 2014 and it is now described as Death Island or Murder Island. Are there serial killers operating on the island, with their crimes apparently insufficiently investigated so that the tourist industry remains protected? Pathologist Dr. Michael Biggs told the hearing that there were many injuries on Nick's body, including to the head, limbs, and face. Police have, however, agreed to hand over the garden hoe which was the murder weapon, along with a shoe and a plastic bag. His parents believe he was murdered - despite police claims he fell 50ft and drowned. Some of these workers said they can earn more money in Thailand compared to Myanmar. [50], An 18-day trial began on 8 July 2015 in the Koh Samui Provincial Court. Koh Tao Mayor Chaiyan Thurasakul said the website is accused of damaging Koh Taos reputation by calling it Death Island. On February 16, 2015, Russian tourist Valentina Novozhyonova, 23, vanished from her hostel on Koh Tao. Mr Miller's body was discovered with severe head injuries several metres away, he said. On Thursday, the New York District Attorney released crime scene photos showing blood spatter and the knife allegedly used by nanny Yoselyn Ortega to kill two young children in her care. Picture: Viral Press/Australscope [47] Thailand's National Human Rights Commission attempted to investigate the allegations, but police representatives did not appear at four scheduled meetings. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. 8 Christina is one of the many young Brits to have died on the island Credit: Handout 8 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. The police quickly closed the inquiry, stating that he had drowned whilst swimming. It's dangerous. What really happened there? 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. He had recently returned to the island after building up a motorbike rental business. We won't comment on the trial process. 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. The police investigation and criminal trial were widely criticised by international media, human rights organisations, and legal experts. 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. Due to the nature of her passing, our beautiful girl has had little privacy. The evidence in the form of this Unendorsed Report would have been ruled as inadmissible in US courts and other Western courts. Police told Elise's mother Michele that her daughter had committed suicide by hanging herself from a tree around three days before she was found. 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". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Fears over the safety of idyllic Koh Tao were heightened after the killings of Brits Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in 2014. Allegations about police brutality rocked the countrys economy that almost solely relies on tourism. Despite claims of a fall, he had no broken bones. [10], Witheridge and Miller travelled and arrived on the island separately on 25 August. 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. [94] She suggested using identification wristbands for tourists to improve safety, but the idea was quickly scrapped. 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. There were no signs he was suicidal. It is not known who released the photos from the crime scene. [74], The investigation was met with criticism by international media, human rights groups, and legal experts. My name is Suzanne Buchanan. The island became world news when two British backpackers, David Miller and Hannah Witheridge were brutally murdered on the island in 2014. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were sentenced to death for the killings. "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 no signs of a struggle or rape or other human DNA. 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. It will take a bit of time to find loopholes to appeal. 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. 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. [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. He announced that he had "ordered all security-related agencies to track down those who are behind the Myanmar demonstrations". She was part of the sect of the Sathya Sai Baba cult movement, and lived with a self-proclaimed "guru", and left the island on April 17 to return home. Hannah was a fun, vibrant and beautiful young woman who will be sorely missed by all who knew her. Samyak Choudhary; and BANGKOK A Thai court sentenced two men from Myanmar on Thursday to death for the murder of two British tourists last year, ending a high-profile trial shadowed . Irregular Burmese migrant workers were now required to register with the police in an attempt to discourage illegal workers and prevent bribery. Silje Mathisen 2014; 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. [42][43] Early police reports said Miller's mobile phone was also found in Zaw Lin's home,[44][45] although the media had previously reported the phone was handed to police by a friend of the victim. [1] Receiving half a million visitors each year,[1] Koh Tao is especially popular with backpackers and known for its marine life and scuba diving. Only if they are not beautiful." He also had given no indications before his death, that he had suicidal thoughts. She said: "I would tell them to do everything in their power to stop them going. 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. [5][40] The commutation was welcomed by Miller's family. Since then the Samui Times has been inundated with . In January 2014, 25-year-old Nick Pearson was found dead in the sea below a cliff while visiting the island. Eight days later when locals living near the island's idyllic Tanote Bay became suspicious of a monitor lizard going back and fourth into the jungle they discovered Elise's half-eaten body on May 27 among rocks behind the Tanote Family Bay Resort. It has long had a reputation as a home for organized crime, corruption and as a place where the police protected local interests. [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." He said more security cameras would be installed on beaches. The photos show his wife . [38] Police entered the home the next day; only one of the men, Zaw Lin, was present. They raped and killed Hannah, and killed David who was attempting to fight them off. The coroner concluded there was not enough evidence to say where or how he met his death. "[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". If you are interested, I have further information on my social media accounts. [83] A 2016 study said the case, which it described as a litmus test of Thailand's justice system, "seriously damaged the image of Thailand and of its forces of law and order on the global level". Belgian backpacker Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanging from a tree on April 27, 2017. They had no prior criminal records. Zaw Lin was said to have entered between 2011 and 2012, and Wai Phyo in 2012. Hannah was also raped in the attack. Some 200 children have died in one nation after taking toxic cough syrups. British holidaymaker Christina Annesley, 23, died on the island in January 2015 after apparently mixing antibiotics she was taking for a chest infection with alcohol. But no suicide note or message were recovered and Michele is desperate for information surrounding the mysterious death. [21][25] There was tearing present at the vulva, bruising on the perineum, and a bite mark on her right nipple. Valentina Novozhenova 2017; Frenchman Dimitri Povse, 29, was found hanged in a bungalow on the island on New Year's Day 2015 and his death was ruled as suicide despite his hands being tied behind his back. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool Diagram of crime scene. The following morning the family raised the alarm when Nick failed to answer the door. I Dubbed 'Death Island', the illusion of a safe haven has since shattered following the brutal deaths of a number of tourists. Both victims had been hit several times on the head; Witheridge had been raped, and Miller had been drowned. [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. The families of Miss Witheridge and Mr Miller are now returning to the UK. CONFESSION WITHDRAWN: Burmese suspect claims he was beaten, tortured by police. [33][34] Over 200 individuals on the island, many of them migrant workers, were tested in mass DNA testing. The second man, Wai Phyo,[a] was believed to have left the island by boat the previous night. [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. 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. Thai police claim Elise hung herself - but her devastated mother does not believe them, and thinks somebody else was involved. 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