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DNA evidence not a match in Thai beach killings

This article is more than 12 months old

It was a brutal murder that shocked the world.

Two British tourists — Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24 — were found beaten to death while on holiday on the popular resort island of Koh Tao, Thailand, last September.

Their naked bodies had multiple wounds on them.

Ms Witheridge had been attacked in her face while Mr Miller was attacked on his back.

A bloodied hoe was found near the murder scene.

The two suspects who have been accused of their murder are Myanmar nationals Win Zaw Tun and Zaw Lin.

They have denied that they killed the British pair.

However, BBC News reported that DNA evidence found on the garden hoe alledgedly used as the murder weapon did not match the suspects'. This was according to the testimony of a top Thai forensic expert.

According to The Guardian, this revelation comes after a string of inconsistencies in the police's investigation of the killings.

In the three months that the suspects have been on trial, the police have been accused of not collecting evidence properly from the crime scene and intimidating and abusing witnesses.

The Independent reported that the Thai police have denied any wrong-doing on their part.

The head of the Thai forensics institute told the court that the DNA evidence on the hoe belonged to two males although they were not a match for the suspects.

She criticised the police for not analysing blood found at the murder scene.

She also queried the officers’ decision to move Ms Witheridge’s body from where she was killed – potentially removing vital evidence.

The police had also earlier failed to take enough DNA samples from the alleged murder weapon and instead tried to rely on fingerprints evidence for the trial.

Source: The Independent, The Guardian, BBC News


Related reports: Two Britons found naked, beaten to death in Thai resort

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