Thai court on Thursday sentenced two migrants from Myanmar to death for the murder of two British backpackers on a resort island last year, in a case that raised questions about police competence and the judicial system in Thailand.
Human Rights Watch called the verdict “profoundly disturbing,” citing the defendants’ accusations of police torture that were never investigated and questionable DNA evidence linking them to the crime. But the family of one of the victims said they believed justice had been done.
Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, both 22, have denied killing David Miller, 24, and raping and then murdering Hannah Witheridge, 23. Their defense attorney said they planned to appeal.
Miller’s and Witheridge’s battered bodies were found Sept. 15, 2014, on the rocky shores of Koh Tao, an island in the Gulf of Thailand known for its white sand beaches and scuba diving. Autopsies showed that the two, who met on the island while staying at the same hotel, suffered severe head wounds and that Witheridge had been raped.
In its ruling, the court on nearby Samui island said prosecutors had presented evidence from the crime scene and provided witness testimony that proved “without any doubt to the court” that the two men had killed Miller and raped Witheridge before murdering her “to cover up their wrongdoings.” DNA evidence showed that the semen of both men was found inside Witheridge, the court said.
It said its ruling did not depend on what the defendants said during interrogation by police. The men have said confessions they made were extracted under duress.
Source: Arab News