Two Burmese workers sentenced to death for British backpacker murders

A panel of three judges delivered their verdict on the neighbouring island of Koh Samui.

Two Burmese migrants – Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo – had initially confessed to killing the pair, but then retracted their statement claiming they had been tortured by police.

The two Myanmar migrants could face the death penalty if convicted.

David Miller’s brother, Michael, said after the hearing at a court in Koh Samui, that “the correct verdict” had been reached.

The case has also raised concern in neighbouring Myanmar where the two men are widely seen as the victims of a fit-up by Thai authorities.

Mr Miller’s family said he would be remembered as a “hard-working, bright and conscientious man”.

The court verdict has prompted harsh reactions from rights groups.

The Thai courts have two stages of appeal, the first the Court of Appeal, which can either be heard at the main court in Bangkok or several regional courts.

The judge said “DNA evidence from both suspects” guided the decision, citing forensic traces from the accused found on Witheridge’s body.

Andy Hall, an worldwide affairs adviser with the Migrant Worker Rights Network, which has represented the defendants, said they planned to appeal against the court’s decision.

Miss Witheridge from Norfolk, and Mr Miller, from Jersey, who had just completed a degree at the University of Leeds, met on Koh Tao while staying at the same hotel.

A post-mortem found that Miss Witheridge, 23, had died of head wounds and Mr Miller, 24, severe blows to the head and drowning.

“Justice is what has been delivered today”.

“We believe what happened today represents justice for Hannah and David”, said Miller.

“Our lives have been changed forever, nothing brings David home”. No last hugs. No goodbyes. He irreplaceable to us.

Legal experts criticized the Thai police for many missteps and said that lingering questions hung over the conviction.

The defendants, both 22 year-old workers at a bar on the island, were arrested two weeks after the killings at a time of intense news coverage of the brutal killings on a small scenic island that has always been a magnet for foreign tourists.

The jury’s sentence follows investigation and trial amid allegations of police incompetence, mishandling of evidence as well as DNA tests. But they soon retracted those confessions, insisting they were made under duress, a charge the police deny. Police have denied the accusations. He told the court that police handcuffed him naked, took pictures of him, “kicked him in the back, punched him, slapped him, threatened to tie him to a rock and drop him in the sea”, according to defence lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat.

The case hinged on DNA evidence that police and prosecutors say link the suspects to the crime but the defence says is flawed.

David Miller, 24, was bludgeoned to death and left to drown, while Hannah Witheridge, 23, was hit over the head before being raped and killed in a grotesque murder that shocked Thailand.

There are about 2.5 million Myanmarese, working mainly for tourism industry in Thailand. Migrants are often abused and mistreated without the safeguard of rights held by Thai citizens.