The trial of two Burmese men accused of killing two British backpackers in Thailand last year has heard that DNA found on the murder weapon does not match either of the two defendants.
Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found murdered on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Tao in September 2014. Witheridge had also been raped.
Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Wei Phyo, both 22, are on trial for the murder and have both pleaded not guilty. Sky News reported that the head of Thailand's central forensics institute told the court on the nearby island of Koh Samui that DNA evidence from a garden hoe—the weapon allegedly used in the murders—does not match either Lin or Phyo.
DNA analysis was requested by the defence after Thai police failed to conduct their own DNA tests immediately following the murders. The witness also told the court that police had not treated the murder scene without due care, moving at least one of the bodies and not taking enough photos of the scene.
Sky News also reported that the defendants, who originally confessed to the murder, claimed to have been tortured by police. Lin previously told the court that police stripped him naked and suffocated him with plastic bags until he collapsed in order to get a confession out of him.
The trial continues.
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Conor is a staff writer for Newsweek covering Africa, with a focus on Nigeria, security and conflict.
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