Thread: Two Tourists Brutally Murdered on Koh Tao, One Raped: Police Spark Thailand Manhunt

From the judges pov, it's good logic to prevent any record except theirs.
The more obfuscation,smoke and mirrors the better the chance the real bad guys stay out of it...

There will be neither justice nor professionalism in this case. (Like many before and no doubt to come...)

It's such a cynical disgrace to all except the victims and defendants who deserve so much more.

Conviction, penalty ( death or more likely life to demonstrate Thai judicial clemency ) a few easily ignored international ripples ( but none domestic ) and back to business as usual and more victims next holiday season.

This place is cursed.

Is the CSI LA guy still active ??

The dna off one discarded cig on a beach of many, what a load of tosh.

How about some real evidence and answers to questions...

Speaking outside the Koh Samui Provincial Court, lead defence lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat said: "We have received information from Britain that shows inconsistencies in the prosecution case. It is significant evidence."
Mr Nakhon said he was unable to provide further details at this time, but that the evidence would be raised with the court as early as tomorrow. It is thought the information supplied by the UK relates to DNA found on the victims.

'Significant' new evidence supplied by UK as British backpackers murder trial begins - Telegraph

Originally Posted by Luigi

So there is no jury,

why would there be?

Originally Posted by DrB0b

Originally Posted by Luigi

So there is no jury,

why would there be?

Well, that's a fair question.

In most trials, trials that we as Westerners would be familiar with, we would expect a jury of our peers to judge the accused as guilty or not guilty.

Quite a dangerous thing when the PM and military leader of the Junta that removed the democratically elected government has already publicly declared that he has looked at the evidence and that they are guilty as charged.

So, why would there be a jury in this case?

Well, there isn't, and instead of a jury a panel of judges will agree with the PM, I mean 'decide' their guilt.

I remember allegations of an argument between the victims and a person or persons in a restaurant or bar, in the hours before the murders.

Are the movements of the victims in the hours before their murder not of interest ? Surely a motive for murder could be deduced from this...

Of course there could always be a big surprise in Court prior to any verdict being handed down.

Anything is possible and truth is sometimes stranger than fiction...even in LOS.

If The Accused Are Indeed Inocent, , As I Believe, I Wish Them Very Good Luck. And A Curse On The House Of The Perpetrators.

You gotta laugh.

In strange turn of events, prosecutor just brought notorious roti seller to act as official translator in court.

The Myanmar Muslim man has previously been implicated in the torture of the defendants and gave a famous Channel 3 interview on the case.

Confusions delay Samui Court proceedings as a roti vendor to act as translator for a witness from Koh Tao is also a key witness in the trial

British backpacker murder trial in Thailand stalls over key DNA evidence

Critical forensic evidence not available to court on second day of trial of suspects accused of killing tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller

A Thai court hearing the case of two Burmese men accused of murdering two British backpackers stalled on the second day of a three-month trial after a police officer failed to present what the defence says is key DNA evidence.

The head judge on a panel of three in a court on the tropical holiday-making island of Koh Samui said that he would rule on the matter on Thursday, when Police Lieutenant Colonel Somsak Nurod, who is believed to hold evidence related to the case, would appear to testify.

But Nurod spent only a few minutes in the court, where he showed the judge of list of evidence exhibits.

This included the alleged murder weapon, a hoe, which was used to kill Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk and David Miller, 24, from Jersey on Sairee beach on the nearby Koh Tao island on September 15.

He left shortly after to recheck what other evidence was available. It was not immediately clear if DNA evidence, collected from sperm and cigarette found at the crime scene, would be provided to the defence.

Nurod appeared confused in court when asked to provide forensic evidence. He said the samples may have been destroyed.

Lead defence lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat said that the police officer will ring the defence later today to confirm what evidence he has.

“Some of the forensic with him has already be used up. Some things he is not sure about,” he said.

Asked if he is disappointed that it appears that key DNA evidence may be missing or unusable, Chompuchat said: “We expected this before.”

He added that it was important that the court acknowledges these fact, which cast doubts on the fairness of the trial and the reliability of the evidence.

Another judge had ruled in April that the DNA evidence be reexamined but later said the defence should request the order on the first day of trial.

A verdict is expected during October for the criminal trial of Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, two Burmese migrants who worked in a bar on a restaurant on Koh Toa. Witnesses, including police, doctors and people living on the island, are due to testify until September 25.

Andy Hall, a migrants’ rights activist from Britain who is working for the defence, has told the Guardian that recent information provided by UK authorities has raised “a lot of very important inconsistencies between the Thai evidence and the the evidence from the UK.”

He did not give details on what evidence UK authorities had provided. But Metropolitan police detectives were sent to Thailand in 2014 to look over the case and report back to officials and the families.

“For this case to rest, it’s very important to re-examine that DNA material and find out whose DNA profile it really is,” Hall said.

The legal team representing the 22-year-old bar workers is made up of pro-bono lawyers also criticise Thai police for improperly collecting evidence at the crime scene, intimidation and abuse of witnesses. These claims have been denied by the Thai police. Human rights groups including Amnesty International have become involved in the trial, noting that Burmese migrant workers, of whom there are about 2.5 million, have previously been wrongly accused of crimes by Thai police.

On Wednesday, the defence cross-examined another police officer who was second on the scene in the early hours of the day of the crime. They asked him why he took so long to call a medic and seal of the area. He was also asked why he moved Miller’s body. He said he was concern the deceased would float in the current.

Doctor Chasit Yoohat, 51, a doctor on Koh Tao, also testified. He said that he observed the crime scene on the day of the murder, and found both had been brutally attacked. On Thursday, Steve Mitchell, a bar owner who was the last person to photograph the deceased appeared at court. He told reporters outside that he photographs tourists to promote the bar on the website.

The two defendants said last night their shackles were not removed, speaking during a break in the hearings on Thursday. “I didn’t sleep all night,” Wai Phyo said.

The authorities had been under pressure to solve this particular murder case quickly as it threatens the country’s vital tourism industry.

The family of Miller said in a statement on Wednesday: “The act which ended David’s life devastated our family and his friends. Just hours before he died, David was talking to us with his usual enthusiasm, describing the beauty of Koh Tao and the friendliness of the Thai people.”

“Over the coming weeks we hope to gain a better understanding as to how such a wonderful young man lost his life in such idyllic surroundings in such a horrible way.”

British backpacker murder trial in Thailand stalls over key DNA evidence | World news | The Guardian

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

Nurod appeared confused in court when asked to provide forensic evidence. He said the samples may have been destroyed.

Case dismiss?

Kangaroo court in banana republic..

BBC reporter just tweeted....Thai policeman who lead the initial investigation into murder of 2 British backpackers tells BBC it will impossible to retest DNA samples.

Lt Col Somsak told BBC that the samples had either been lost - or that only sufficient for 1 test. Defence wanted to verify independently.

I had an open mind about this case - but this is almost unbelievable.

Load of crap from the start, just getting more idiotic by the day. The Thai have no shame whatsoever, so public opinion be damned, these two Burmese will swing, guilty or not. And I don't believe for one second that they had anything to do with the crime.

Originally Posted by citizen33

I had an open mind about this case - but this is almost unbelievable.

When you said you had an open mind, did that open mind ever think the case was anything other than a setup to protect Thai murders? That seemed pretty obvious from the first week of the case.

^I thought the authorities would at least have a DNA match, though I was dubious about several other claims. It seems that they probably don't even have that! Deafening silence in organs like the BP. The Mirror has live updates from the trial though.

Recap: Thailand backpacker murder trial - updates as Burmese migrants appear in court - Mirror Online

Originally Posted by Luigi

In most trials, trials that we as Westerners would be familiar with, we would expect a jury of our peers to judge the accused as guilty or not guilty

You're being a little parochial there, luigi. Only some Westerners. Many Western countries do not have jury trials. Jury trials are mostly used in common law legislative systems, they are rare under civil law systems. The Thai legal system, which is not a common law system, does not have jury trials.

DNA evidence `lost`.



Thailand backpacker murders: DNA evidence 'lost' - police - BBC News

Wow ! A real live circus, going on right in front of us....

Makes you wonder if the Brit cops did have DNA and if so if it will be brought to the court as evidence.?

Incredible Thai court and police system.

Koh Tao murders: Defence label witness testimonies ‘inconsistent’

A lawyer representing two Burmese migrant workers standing accused of murder in Thailand said that the testimonies given by prosecution witnesses on Wednesday were inconsistent.

Speaking to DVB on Wednesday evening, Aung Myo Thant said, “Four prosecution witnesses testified at the trial today: a police lieutenant, a forensic doctor, the brother of the Koh Tao island headman and his friend. In summary, none of them could precisely say that the two Burmese youngsters committed the murder. Their testimonies were also inconsistent.”

He said that the police lieutenant provided the court his account on how he went to inspect the crime scene. He was followed in court by the headman’s brother, who owns a nearby bar, who testified that he informed the police after his employees told him they had discovered the bodies of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on the beach. He added that his chef went out and picked up the suspects’ guitar, which he handed over to police.

According to Sein Htay, chairman of the Thailand-based Migrant Worker Rights Network who attended the hearing on Wednesday, defence attorneys from the Lawyers Council of Thailand cross-examined the witnesses. He noted that some of their responses were inconsistent and said that none could confirm that they witnessed the two suspects committing the crime.


Brought to trial on the island of Koh Samui with shackles on their legs, the two suspects in the case, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun (a.k.a. Wai Phyo), both aged 21 from Kyaukphyu in Arakan State, initially confessed to the murders of British backpackers Miller and Witheridge in the early hours of 15 September 2014 on a beach on the popular holiday resort of Koh Tao. Witheridge was also raped.

But the pair later retracted their statements, saying they were tortured and threatened by Thai police officers into confessing.

Sein Htay said the court was told on Wednesday that a Burmese migrant woman was the first person to find the battered and lifeless bodies of the two British tourists, but that she has already left Thailand.

He said that the defence team requested a re-examination of the forensic evidence presented by the prosecutors. In response, he said, the judge called for the police officer in charge of evidence to be summoned.

“The judge said he would coordinate with the police officer in charge, and that if those negotiations were successful, there might be an opportunity to re-test the DNA samples,” Sein Htay said.

Koh Samui court is set for more prosecution witness hearings on 9 and 10 July. The hearing on Wednesday lasted from 9:30am until 8pm, and was attended by the families of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge.

https://www.dvb.no/news/koh-tao-murd...nsistent/54635

Meanwhile a Thai translator being used by Sky News in court has said she's been "warned off" helping journalists by the Thai "Mafia".

Backpacker Murder: DNA Setback For Defence

Thailand backpacker murders: DNA evidence 'lost'

Thailand backpacker murders: DNA evidence 'lost' - police - BBC News

How convenient....

No new thread on this topic yet on TVF. What a load of toadies the mods on that site are!

Unbelievable fooked up place this is, re the evidence!