On July 7^th The Bangkok Post published an article in which the police clarified seven tourist deaths on Koh Tao in the last three years.

According to the Bangkok Post in a briefing at police headquarters on Friday, senior offices gave details about six deaths on the island. It was attended by the police liaison officer of the Belgian Embassy, who was there as the latest death was a Belgian woman.

In the report it was stated that “In the second case, British tourists David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 24, were found bludgeoned to death on the beach on Sept 15, 2014 Two Myanmar Nationals – Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo – were charged based on DNA results. They were convicted and sentenced to death and the Appeal Court upheld the ruling. They window for an appeal to the Supreme Court has closed without one being filed and the case was closed said Pol Maj Gen Apichart.

However this is false information. The window has not closed and the appeal to the Supreme Court is due to be submitted on the 21^st of July.

It is not clear why this statement was made, or why he blatantly lied at a press conference. However what is clear is that questions are now being asked as to what else he has lied about.

The investigation of the Witheridge and Miller deaths have been widely criticised as the crime scene was not properly secured and questions have been raised about DNA testing that one international expert says is unsafe.

According to another report in the Bangkok Post, Jane Taupin, one of the world’s foremost experts on DNA profiling, who has worked as an internal laboratory auditor and written books on the use of forensic evidence in courtrooms, has provided a thorough critique of DNA evidence in the case which is as follows.

MUST EXPLAIN STATISTICS  

Crime scenes, Ms Taupin says, are notoriously difficult to gather quality DNA samples from.

Cases like the one on Koh Tao, which deal with mixed samples, are fraught with danger: complex and sometimes unreliable statistical calculations must be carried out to determine the probability that someone other than the accused could match the recovered sample.

 

http://www.samuitimes.com/police-lie-press-conference-supreme-court-appeal-koh-tao-murder-case/

I reckon they simply made a statement that was in error based on either a misunderstanding or ignorance of the procedures already in process; probably both!.

 

Regardless of what they are reported to have said on or about 7th July 2017, the appeal was filed on Monday 21st August 2017.

It was probably wishful thinking. They would dearly love this case to disappear.

The list of problems with the evidence and convictions is mindbogglingly long, though until Thailand considers getting at the truth more important than saving face, it is hard to see justice ever being done in this case.

DNA ALONE NOT ENOUGH FOR CRIMINAL CONVICTION

Given the nature of mixed sample DNA analysis, Ms. Taupin is particularly critical of claims by multiple police forensics experts that their lab results guaranteed the identity of the perpetrators “100%”.

She said there is no international standard that recommends the conclusion of identity from a forensic DNA profile, no matter how many areas on the DNA molecule are examined.

It is for this reason, she said, that DNA profiling alone is not enough to form the basis of a criminal conviction. “It’s just one piece of the circumstantial case. It’s a scientific test, that’s all,” she said.

Hot off the press as of about 9 JULY 2017.

Old article, closed.