Backpacker's Dad Weeps As Court Shown Body
Hannah Witheridge's father and brother sit through harrowing evidence as David Miller's parents speak of seeing the murder scene.
Friday 10 July 2015 09:20, UK
The father of murdered British backpacker Hannah Witheridge was in tears as a court in Thailand was shown graphic photographs of her body lying on a beach on the holiday island Koh Tao.
Sitting on the front row of the court in Koh Samui, Tony Witheridge and his son listened with bowed heads as a police forensics officer described the crime scene and the position he found the bodies of Hannah, 23, from Norfolk, and fellow backpacker David Miller, 24, from Jersey.
The men left the courtroom a short time later during day three of the trial of two Burmese men accused of raping Hannah and murdering her and David.
Meanwhile, the parents and brother of Mr Miller have told reporters of their heartache over their visit to the spot where their son was killed, just days before the trial began.
"Part of the reason for coming out was to go to Koh Tao” said Mrs Miller. "It was really hard."
An order of service from Mr Miller's funeral, some flowers and a candle have been left at the site close to where his body was discovered last September.
Speaking about the trial, Mr Miller said: "We came out with an open mind. We are specifically keeping an open mind. There has been lots of chit-chat on the internet. We are here for David because of his tragic death."
Asked if they would stay for the entire trial, he said: "We are going to keep in touch with the whole process. Depending on work commitments, whether we are here or not, we'll be listening to it.
"We'll go with the flow as much as we can. We won’t comment on the trial process. We'll be dignified for David.
"It's been a very emotional time for us."
His wife added: "It's been hard, very hard."
The two Burmese men accused of the murders, 22-year-olds Wai Phyo and Zaw Lin, again sat in court wearing orange prison uniforms with their legs shackled. Both men have pleaded not guilty to murder.
The forensics officer described to the court how evidence was gathered and how Mr Miller's body had to be moved from the water's edge.
The case has thrown a spotlight on Thailand's justice system after a chaotic police investigation and questions over the arrest of the alleged killers.
Police have previously said DNA found at the scene matches that of the defendants who were working on Koh Tao and confessed to the murders.
However, a short time after being detained the pair retracted their confessions, claiming they were abused and threatened by interrogators.
The Thai police deny any wrongdoing.
The defence team is hoping the judges will rule that if any remaining DNA samples taken from Ms Witheridge’s body can be found they will be allowed to re-test them in an independent laboratory.
At Thursday's hearing there were suggestions some of the DNA evidence may have been lost, but national police chief General Somyot Poompanmoung said today: "Nothing is missing."
Both of the victims' families have said they are hopeful for a fair and transparent trial.
A verdict is due in December.