Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BACKPACKER KILLERS MUST STAY IN PRISON
Thai officials insist pair are guilty
THE killers of two British backpackers in Thailand have had their release from prison blocked.
Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were convicted of bludgeoning to death Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, in September 2014 on the paradise island of Koh Tao.
The Burmese bar workers originally admitted the murders but later said they had been tortured by police into confessing.
The pair, both
29, were sentenced to death after being convicted in
2015 but were spared the death penalty in 2020.
They were hoping another royal decree made by the Thai king in July, allowing 200,000 inmates to be considered for release, would have them freed early from Bangkok’s notorious Bang Kwang prison – known ironically as the “Bangkok Hilton”.
But the pair – who insist they are innocent – are still behind bars.
Lin and Phyo say they were overlooked for amnesty because they have not yet served 10 years.
In a letter from his prison cell obtained by this newspaper, Lin wrote: “I have been in prison almost 10 years now for nothing. I would like to see my mum in person while she is still alive. I don’t want to die alone in the prison.”
The bodies of David, from Jersey, and Hannah, from Norfolk, were found on a beach. The pair had been battered to death with a wooden hoe as they walked back to their hotel rooms late at night. Hannah was also raped.
Lin and Phyo have always said they were fitted up and accused Thai detectives of a “botched” probe.
They lost their appeals against the death sentence in 2017 and again at the Supreme Court in 2019.
Thai officials say they were convicted on evidence of an “international standard”.
In 2020, engineering graduate David’s family welcomed the decision commuting the death penalty, saying: “The final admittance of their guilt has allowed this act of clemency.”
Hannah was working towards a masters degree in speech and language therapy. Her family has said: “The world is a less vibrant and much less beautiful place without Hannah in it.”
were both spectacular women and still are. All I can say is I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have been in their lives for a short period of time.
“They’re both alpha females who remain feminine. They are a good example to any little girl.”
Gene has a soft spot for the UK and over Zoom belted out a short rendition of She’s A Lady by Tom Jones, whom he has performed with in the past.
But he could not resist mocking the British accent, sharing some dodgy impressions and taking aim at our supposedly wonky teeth and the size of pretty everything here. He said: “I first went to England in 75 and went to people’s homes. I was shocked with how small the cars were, how small the steps were and how low the ceilings were.
“Everything in America is big. The people are big, the cars are big, the families are big. ”
But it was the tightness of our lifts compared to America’s that sparked a particular memory.
He recalled a scene from the hilarious 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap when the fictitious
SHOCK ROCK Kiss in Los Angeles in ‘75 band cannot find the stage. He said: “That’s exactly what happened to Kiss in Newcastle. It was an old, old building. It might have been an opera house or something. The buildings were built such a long time ago they didn’t make space for lifts.”
After so many years at rock’s coalface Gene deserves a rest. But instead, apart from appearing on TV’s American Idol with singer Katy Perry, he is also a successful entrepreneur in the drinks industry. Although not a drinker himself, his MoneyBag brand has vodka and wine products as well as “the champagne of soda”.
He also tours globally with The Gene Simmons band and dabbles in the world of books and public speaking.
He added: “I have to say I’m probably the most fortunate guy.
“I’m aware every day that I’m happy that I’m Gene Simmons.”
‘‘ The Playboy mansion was like going into a bakery when you’re addicted to food