British tourists murdered on beach in Thailand

THE butchered bodies of two British tourists have been found on a beach in Koh Tao, in the Surat Thani province of Thailand.

David William Miller, 24, from Jersey and Hannah Victoria Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk were found dead and semi naked on a blood stained beach, a short distance from the bungalow they were staying in on the Island and close to a beach party that had been held the night before.

The gruesome killings, believed to have been carried out with a hoe, were found by migrant workers around 6.30am on Monday, September 15. Colonel Prachum Ruangthong, from Thailand’s police force, said: “The victims’ clothes and a hoe with blood stains were found nearby.”

Col Prachum went on to say: “The man was chopped in the back and on the side of his head, while the woman was chopped in her face, it’s very gruesome.The girl’s throat had also been slashed.”

The couple had been staying in a bungalow on the beautiful beach of Sai Ree, on the south side of the Island. Koh Tao, which is approximately a four hour boat ride from Thailand’s mainland, is a popular tourist destination, famed for its beautiful beaches, dive sites and stunning turquoise coral.

Investigators are exploring the possibilities of a sexual motive for the attack, and the girl´s body has been taken for forensic examination amid fears she may have been raped. Police are checking CCTV cameras of local restaurants, hotels and shops in the search for the attacker, who they now believe is an immigrant worker.