Download videos of River diver on Depositphotos Millions of high-quality, royalty-free stock videos, footage and clips at affordable prices. 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. About Nick Pearson they said he fell out of his bungalow and ended up drowning in the ocean. "So my suspicions are that it was a mugging that went wrong. They had no prior criminal records. "As long as I can breathe I will keep trying to find answers.". https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/world/asia/thailand-koh-tao-death-island.html#:~:text=But%20among%20some%20foreigners%2C%20Koh,began%20calling%20it%20Death%20Island.&text=She%20accused%20the%20police%20of,up%20crime%20on%20the%20island. Bergen Area, Norway. 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. Their findings were never made public, but were shared with the families of the victims. Taupin was ultimately not allowed to testify by the defence, and these issues were not raised by the defence until their closing statement. He had entered the country on September 26, 2018, before traveling to the island, where stayed at the Monsoon Gym and Fight Club. View our online Press Pack. Hannah was raped before she was killed. The images shown to the court were graphic, reports Jonah Fisher in Thailand. [67] Protesters called for the release of the two suspects, who they believed were innocent and scapegoated for the crime. The island off the Surat Thani province coast has gained notoriety after a string of suspicious and sensationalised deaths over the years. The police quickly closed the inquiry, stating that he had drowned whilst swimming. Khao San Lomprayah - 2100 arrives Koh Tao 0845 > check prices for Bangkok to Koha Tao night bus and ferry and book now. 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.". [33][34] Over 200 individuals on the island, many of them migrant workers, were tested in mass DNA testing. We have done our own investigation and we are sure she was murdered. Thai authorities claimed he was drunk and fell, but his family believes he was murdered.. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? [62] They were both also charged with entering the country illegally, to which Wai Phyo had already confessed. [64], Several CCTV cameras near the crime scene were reported to be nonfunctional, and cameras near the pier were not checked by the police. The second man, Wai Phyo,[a] was believed to have left the island by boat the previous night. New Zealand's Minisrty of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) says 185 Kiwis are registered as being in the flood affected areas of Koh Samui and Koh Tao and parts of southern Thailand, including . Enterprise. After unsuccessfully trying to find their possessions, they walked towards Mau Mau's house through the shortcut, which resulted in them being caught on CCTV. 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. [85][15][86] Prayut said that British and Burmese government representatives were "limited to observation" and had to "respect our processes". [39] Following an interrogation, during which police say Zaw Lin admitted he had entered the country illegally, Zaw Lin was arrested and his clothes and motorcycle were seized as evidence. 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. Christina Annesley 2015; 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. We beg that Hannah and David are afforded privacy and dignity through the removal of these pointless and insensitive reminders. Yearly, many professional photographers visit this lodge to capture herds of elephants crossing the dry lake in search of water . [63] They plead not guilty to the charge at the trial, but Wai Phyo changed his plea to guilty during the proceedings. 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. Belgian backpacker Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanging from a tree on April 27, 2017. Koh Tao (also Ko Tao) - literally Turtle Island in the Chumphon Archipelago. Aug 2014 - Dec 20217 years 5 months. A Thai/Indian couple circa June 2021. The last known video footage of the Russian woman showed her walking to Chaloke Hin Kao bay and never coming back. 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. https://time.com/3955081/thailand-koh-tao-murder-david-miller-hannah-witheridge-zaw-lin-wai-phyo-burma-myanmar/, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/dark-side-koh-tao-seven-10708561, https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/true-crime-in-the-outdoors/tag/Cases+on+the+Death+Island+of+Koh+Tao, https://www.nist.gov/feature-stories/dna-mixtures-forensic-science-explainer. 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. Boyne Annesley believes his 23-year-old daughter Christina Annesley, of Orpington, southeast London, was murdered on Koh Tao Island in January 2015. The items were still there are 3 am and he called the police. See the latest list of Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30320196. They stated they were driven by a desire to rape the victim following sexual arousal when they saw the couple kissing on the beach. Mr Miller's body was discovered with severe head injuries several metres away, he said. [51][56][57] They argued that the defendants, since they were vulnerable as illegal migrant workers, were scapegoated by the police for the crime. Boyne Annesley believes his 23-year-old daughter Christina Annesley, of Orpington, southeast London, was murdered on Koh Tao Island in January 2015. Koh Tao is in the Chumphon Archipelago. The relevant standard in this case was ISO 17025. "They did a visual post-mortem - just by looking at him they said he died of a broken neck and that his face was looking towards his back. On Tuesday, new details emerged as police investigated the death of a wealthy billionaire industrialist and his wife on Ko Tao last Friday. 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. A member of staff told police he heard four to five cries of someone in shock approximately 10 minutes . There were no witnesses. He announced that he had "ordered all security-related agencies to track down those who are behind the Myanmar demonstrations". From: kohtao. 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. Elise had been traveling around Asia for two years, and before her death had been living at a yoga and tantra retreat on Koh Phangan. It has long had a reputation as a home for organized crime, corruption and as a place where the police protected local interests. [21][25] There was tearing present at the vulva, bruising on the perineum, and a bite mark on her right nipple. Father weeps at Thai murder photos. Lightboxes. News back pack murders in koh tao 2014 koh tao koh tao island mystery news in Thailand Thaiger news thailand thailand crime Thailand News thailand tourist thailand tourist . Hiroshi 2002; Elise Dallemagne 2017; Samyak Choudhary; and As we continue with our plans for our beautiful Hannahs party, our thoughts are with David Millers family who are suffering the same indescribable agony. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. [25] There were no known eyewitnesses to the murders. "Then I started thinking what's going on here?". 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. A royal commutation does not require an admission of guilt. With crystal-clear waters, perfect sandy beaches, palm trees and great nightlife. They believed he had accidentally drowned and he was thought to have been dead for around 12 hours when his body was retrieved. [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. They weren't looked down upon or treated poorly at all. Read about our approach to external linking. [61], On July 10, the court ordered the DNA to be retested. It would be impossible, some of the boulders are so big they would have stopped him but he didnt have a single broken bone. 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. Andy was assisting the defence lawyers. Why are the police not thoroughly investigating, why are they changing facts? Direct quotations from the trial are unavailable, as the judges did not permit the public to take notes. 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! In fact, during one 36-hour spell in April last year, nine people were murdered there. 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. [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". Although Koh Tao is one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand, it has always been shrouded by a dark mystery. Police concluded she wanted to break a deep-diving record at more than 24 meters. A backpacker from Belgium, Elise Dallemagne, 30, was found hanged in the hillson the island on April 28, 2017. What really happened there? 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). He later apologised for the comment after it was met with public backlash. Ben Harrington 2012; https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6729031/thailand-koh-tao-island-dad-dead-mystery/, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-30546787, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/17/sister-murdered-backpacker-hannah-witheridge-dies-falling-gravely/, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-53797951, https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1282946/police-clarify-koh-tao-death-cases, https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1047575-death-island-riddle%C2%A0-koh-tao-mystery-deepens-as-%E2%80%98healthy%E2%80%99-dad-becomes-tenth-westerner-to-die-in-suspicious-circumstances/, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4680394/Haunting-final-image-Koh-Tao-backpacker-Thai-hang-suicide.html, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/thailands-death-island-tourist-33-13399601, https://www.chiangraitimes.com/crime-chiang-rai-thailand/body-of-moldavian-tourist-found-dead-in-sea-off-the-island-koh-tao-sent-to-bangkok-for-thorough-autopsy/, https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/443983/suter-hanspeter-body-found-on-beach-in-chumphon-thailand, Koh Tao Murders, Suspicious Deaths, Fatal Accidents Tribute to 20 Foreigners Tony Lotus & 1Survivor, Tagged: Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise, Cases on the Death Island of Koh Tao, nick pearson koh tao death, The coroner concluded there was not enough evidence to say where or how he met his death. With crystal-clear waters, perfect sandy beaches, palm trees and great nightlife. Buchanan who left Thailand in 2016 after receiving death threats for her reporting, reached out to the victims' families and formed a support group. On February 16, 2015, Russian tourist Valentina Novozhyonova, 23, vanished from her hostel on Koh Tao. On 15 September, the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao, between 4 and 5 am, a few hours after their deaths. The two are charged with the murder of David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, on . [23] Local residents blocked the pier to prevent the unidentified killers from leaving the island. The two men were convicted and sentenced in 2015 and the verdict was upheld by an appeals court in 2017 and the Supreme Court in August 2019. Dark side of Koh Tao: The seven tourists found dead on Thailand's 'murder island' after backpacker 'eaten by lizards' Koh Tao was plunged into the spotlight when the semi-naked bodies of. [82][83] The UK government expressed concerns with the investigation, and summoned a Thai diplomat in London to discuss them. Shared On: 28th Dec, 2022. [20] Both bodies were found semi-naked;[21] a pile of clothes was found nearby. A. Kadyrov Hotels near Museum of the Chechen Republic Hotels near The Flower Park Hotels near Visit Chechnya Hotels near Grozny City Observation Deck Hotels near Church of Archangel Michael Hotels near Makhmud Esambayev Avenue Hotels near Museum of Akhmat Khadzhy Kadyrov Hotels near Monument to the Fighters of the . Hotel owner Rakeshwar Sachathamakul has been found dead along with his wife in a luxury resort on Koh Tao. 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. They think our country is beautiful and safe and they can do whatever they want, wear bikinis wherever they like, the prime minister said. [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". 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. [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. Due to the nature of her passing, our beautiful girl has had little privacy. She was also part of the Sathya Sai Baba cult and lived with a self-proclaimed 'guru'. 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. Top Rotherham Self-Guided Tours & Rentals: See reviews and photos of Self-Guided Tours & Rentals in Rotherham, England on Tripadvisor. The Koh Tao murders had a big impact on the island, it left a very deep impression! 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. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo (also known as Win Zaw Htun). However, the event did not materially affect tourism to the island over the following years. Koh Tao is a small and beautiful island in Southern Thailand, approximately 21 km, 30 km north of Koh Phan Gan and about 70 km from the Chumphon town. Cart. I was good friends with a few and they were all restaurant/bar owners. 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. Dimitri Povse 2015; The coroner concluded there was not enough evidence to say where or how he met his death. While his death was ruled as suicide cops could not explain why his hands are tied behind his back. But "Turtle Island" has its dark side. A 28-year-old British guy. Koh Tao, where Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were murdered, is steeped in paradoxes. The authorities said he had died after striking the diving board from which he was jumping. German Bernd Grotsch's body was found at his home deep in the jungle in the Mae Haad part of Koh Tao. It is not known who released the photos from the crime scene. [51][21] The trial was attended by external observers, including representatives from Amnesty International and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The discovery of the bodies last September sparked a major police investigation and intense local and international pressure to find those responsible. [29][30] The police initially speculated about who the culprit might be, alleging various individuals of perpetrating the crime without clear evidence. Thai beach deaths DNA evidence . Post-mortems found that Hannah had died from head wounds, while engineering student Mr Miller suffered severe blows to his head and drowned. The two men deny murdering Miss Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey. At the time rumours of secret CCTV footage, inconclusive blood samples and a mysterious Swedish man, made Christinas dad suspicious. A judge found the workers guilty and sentenced them to death despite questions about DNA evidence and the police handling of the case. 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. Top Kurunegala Forests: See reviews and photos of Forests in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka on Tripadvisor. Hanspeter Suter 2014; [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. 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. Hannah was a fun, vibrant and beautiful young woman who will be sorely missed by all who knew her. Amnesty International has demanded the Thai authorities investigate the torture allegations after one suspect reportedly said he was beaten and threatened with electrocution. The more I was getting involved, the more I was reporting, the more upset the Thais would get," she added. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Their bodies were found on a beach on the island of Koh Tao last September. Thai beach murders: First pictures of British tourists battered to death on island The victims of the attack in Koh Tao have been named as 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge from Great Yarmouth. [1][31] Pornthip Rojanasunand, a Thai forensic scientist, testified at the trial that the crime scene was poorly managed. Theres a disproportionate amount of suspicious deaths on that island- and the link is that none of the families believe the police investigation or the information theyve been given. [50], An 18-day trial began on 8 July 2015 in the Koh Samui Provincial Court. She added: "They didn't do any investigation at all. It will take a bit of time to find loopholes to appeal. Some were murdered, some died in suspicious circumstances and some died in avoidable accidents. At least eleven European tourists have died or disappeared there since 2014 and it is now described as Death Island or Murder Island. [38] Police entered the home the next day; only one of the men, Zaw Lin, was present. 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". [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. We've all heard about the 2014 backpacker murders of two British tourists in Koh Tao, Thailand. Staff checked her room to discover her mobile phone, passport and camera had all been left behind. [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. Pathologist Dr. Michael Biggs told the hearing that there were many injuries on Nick's body, including to the head, limbs, and face. The police were under pressure to produce results quickly, which affected how they conducted their investigation. Sun 23 Nov 2014 10.54 EST. 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. The government of Thailand was concerned the murders might affect tourism to the island, with arrivals dropping in the months following the murders. Investigators had no theory to explain her unexpected stopover on Koh Tao on her way back to the mainland and the capital Bangkok. koh tao murders crime scene photos. 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. Owner of Martin Totland Freelance LLC, specializing in event photography, freelance journalism, and Norwegian . It doesn't necessarily mean they are transgender, or that they are doing drag, they just live as women. 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. Chrissie's heartbroken dad Boyne Annesley started investigating more deaths in Koh Tao. 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. 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. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to ask that Hannah be allowed a well-deserved day of privacy on Friday whilst we join her many friends in a celebration of her life.. 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. Suter had been a regular snorkeler and his death was totally unexplained. Both were found dead on the bottom of a swimming pool at a seaside resort on Koh Tao in Surat Thani. Koh Tao Mayor Chaiyan Thurasakul said the website is accused of damaging Koh Taos reputation by calling it Death Island. A police officer told the trial of the severe injuries Miss Witheridge suffered and evidence she had been raped. Hannah was a University of Essex student from Hemsby in Norfolk, UK, and David was a civil and structural engineering graduate, from Jersey. He told the Sun Online: "We want justice. On 15 September, the bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao, between 4 and 5am, a few hours after their deaths. It has a population of around 1,500 people and the main settlement is Ban Mae Hat. 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.. [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. These included backpackers Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, who were found murdered on the . Police received the initial report at 4.45pm on Friday. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. [26][27] However, her clothes were not tested for DNA. Part of the reason for coming out, was to go to Koh Tao. ", The dad added that some of the witnesses they spoke to were "too frightened" to come forward which shows "how the culture is.". [51] This decision was criticised by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group, one of the observers at the trial. They also raised concerns with the absence of legal counsel prior to the confession, as well as difficulties with translation and interpretation. It has over 100 hotels and resorts and was deemed the busiest diving centre in Southeast Asia in 2014. Nick Pearson, 25, was found floating in an island bay, at the foot of a 50ft drop on New Years Day 2014. An unexplained fire that evening burned down three bamboo huts, including the one Elise had been staying in. [31] They focused on foreign nationals, with a spokesperson for the police claiming "Thais wouldn't do this". They said Wai Phyo found the mobile phone dropped on the beach, and so he kept it. [15] Experts have considered the forensic investigation to have been incompetent, and to have possibly framed the suspects. The hearing was told that a post-mortem examination in Thailand showed that Mr Miller had a number of small bruises on his face and legs and gave a cause of death of head injuries and drowning.
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