Nearly ten years on from the brutal murders of two
British backpackers in
Thailand , the families of two victims are facing another blow. David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were bludgeoned to death in September 2014 by Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun on the island of Koh Tao – but now the killers are campaigning for a review of their case as they sit behind bars. In letters seen by the Mirror , Zaw Lin wrote to his legal aid: ‘Could you please retrial again my case? I’ve never seen the people who died on the beach at Koh Tao. I want to get out as I am innocent.’ Both Lin and Htun, now 29, were Burmese migrants working at bars on the island of Koh Tao when they were convicted of the murders. And after the Thai king scrapped the death penalty, both men are now only serving a life sentence for the crimes. The bodies of Hannah and David were discovered beaten to death on a beach in Koh Tao on September 15, 2014. The pair had travelled to Thailand separately but became
Friends while staying in the same area. Both had been hit several times on their heads, and a post-mortem revealed Hannah had been raped before her death – and David had been drowned. They were last seen at AC Bar, where they had been partying with friends and around 50 other tourists. Hannah and David reportedly left together after 1 am and were discovered dead around 4am by a Burmese beach cleaner. A bloody garden hoe and wooden club were found near their semi-naked bodies and three cigarette butts and a used condom. Shortly after the discovery of their bodies, questions were raised about the way
police handled the investigation. Officers were critcised for moving the bodies so the tide would not wash them away and also allegedly did not test Hannah’s clothes for DNA. The cigarette butts and condom were tested for DNA, which linked both Lin and Htun to the murder scene, prosecutors said. The pair were given a death sentence in 2015, which was later changed to life imprisonment after the king scrapped the death penalty. Defence lawyers for Lin and Htun have said from the beginning that the DNA evidence used to convict the two men was unreliable. Hospital carries out
abortion on wrong woman in horror mix up Two-year-old girl’s dad and grandad drown trying to save her from hotel pool Girl, 10, dies after eating her own birthday cake Child opens
fire at primary school leaving one pupil dead and two seriously hurt Whilst prosecutors said the cigarette butts and condom linked Lin and Htun to the scene, the DNA taken from the murder weapon did not match that of the two suspects. They previously appealed in 2017, but their sentence was upheld by the
Supreme Court. Their defence team has continued to maintain their innocence and said the DNA evidence was mishandled, and confessions from the men were a result of ‘torture or abuse that made them fear for their lives’. Htun and Lin have claimed police put plastic bags over their head so they couldn’t breathe, were physically beaten, and threatened with death during their integration. Thai Police have continually denied using force and mishandling DNA evidence. The families of David and Hannah have not spoken out about the most recent campaign for retrial but previously did praise the Thai king for scrapping the death penalty. In a 2020 statement, Ian and Sue Miller, who have campaigned against the death penalty, said: ‘We are grateful to His Majesty the King of Thailand for showing his clemency to the murderers of our son David. ‘The final admittance of their guilt has allowed this act of clemency to become possible.’ After the sentencing of Lin and Htun, David’s family said: ‘We didn’t know what to believe. It was easy to conclude they might be scapegoats. We heard the evidence and a group of activists has promoted their cause to the media. ‘They had seven top lawyers and ultimately they obtained the best possible representation in court. ‘We have attended the trial and gained respect for the court. We came to realise the police investigation was not the shambles it was made out to be. ‘It is our opinion that the evidence against Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo is absolutely overwhelming.’ Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk . For more stories like this, check our news page . MORE : Hiker who found bones of Emile Soleil ‘picked them up’ before telling police MORE : One of UK’s most wanted men arrested at airport after almost 30 years on run MORE : Cruise ship ‘abandons passengers on island’ after it leaves without them Privacy Policy