This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34055589
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Thailand backpacker murders: Accused denied police report | Thailand backpacker murders: Accused denied police report |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The men accused of killing two British tourists on a Thai island have failed in their bid to see a confidential Metropolitan Police report. | The men accused of killing two British tourists on a Thai island have failed in their bid to see a confidential Metropolitan Police report. |
Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo deny murdering Hannah Witheridge, 23, of Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey. | Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo deny murdering Hannah Witheridge, 23, of Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey. |
Their bodies were found on a beach on Koh Tao in September 2014. | |
Lawyers for the accused asked a British court to order disclosure of a police report in the hope that it might help their defence, but this was refused. | Lawyers for the accused asked a British court to order disclosure of a police report in the hope that it might help their defence, but this was refused. |
Rejecting the application, Mr Justice Green, sitting at the High Court in London, said: "There is nothing in the report which is exculpatory or would be of material assistance to the claimants in the operation of their defence in the course of the trial." | Rejecting the application, Mr Justice Green, sitting at the High Court in London, said: "There is nothing in the report which is exculpatory or would be of material assistance to the claimants in the operation of their defence in the course of the trial." |
The report was prepared to reassure the families of Miss Witheridge, from Hemsby, and Mr Miller about the Thai authorities' investigation into the deaths. | |
The prosecution told the trial, which started last month, that there was a DNA match between samples found on Miss Witheridge's body and the two defendants and this was central to its case. | |
Defence lawyers had asked for the samples to be independently verified but have now been told there is nothing left of them to re-test. | Defence lawyers had asked for the samples to be independently verified but have now been told there is nothing left of them to re-test. |
Police have, however, agreed to hand over the garden hoe which was the murder weapon, along with a shoe and a plastic bag. | Police have, however, agreed to hand over the garden hoe which was the murder weapon, along with a shoe and a plastic bag. |
The discovery of the bodies sparked a major police investigation and intense local and international pressure to find those responsible. | The discovery of the bodies sparked a major police investigation and intense local and international pressure to find those responsible. |
Mr Zaw and Mr Wai (also known as Win Zaw Htun), both 22 and migrants from Myanmar, also known as Burma, were arrested several weeks later. | |
They are said to have confessed to the crime but later retracted their statements. | They are said to have confessed to the crime but later retracted their statements. |
The defendants have repeatedly stated their innocence over the murders, with the defence alleging they were framed. | The defendants have repeatedly stated their innocence over the murders, with the defence alleging they were framed. |
The trial continues. | The trial continues. |
Previous version
1
Next version