Two Burmese men ‘confess’ to Thai backpacker murders
Thai police claim two Burmese workers have admitted killing two British tourists on the island of Koh Tao as the funeral of one of the two victims takes place today.
Local police say that DNA samples taken from the men match that of backpacker Hannah Witheridge, 23, whose body was found alongside that of her friend David Miller, 24, on a beach on September 15.
The two men, identified only has ‘Win’ and ‘Saw’ face charges of murder, rape and robbery.
A major police investigation has been collecting evidence and taking DNA samples from those working on the island.
But is has been criticised for not closing off the island or properly sealing off the crime scene.
A reward of around £13,000 had been offered for information leading to an arrest.
A garden hoe, found near the scene of the killings, was earlier identified as the possible murder weapon.
A post-mortem examination found that Mr Miller, from Jersey, had suffered severe blows to the head and drowning.
An inquest opened in Norwich earlier this week heard Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth died from ‘severe head injuries’. A full inquest will take place on 6 January.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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