ABOVE: Myanmar migrant workers Zaw Lin (R) and Win Zaw Htun (L) arrive at the Koh Samui Provincial Court on July 8. Photo: Reuters / Athit Perawongmetha
A forensics expert has testified that the DNA samples taken from a garden hoe believed to have been used to kill two British tourists in Koh Tao last year does not belong to the two Myanmar men on trial.
The bodies of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were found on a beach on the holiday island last September.
The head of the Thai forensics institute, Porntip Rojanasunand, told judges on Koh Samui that her team had identified DNA on a garden hoe, found bloodied near the deceased. The samples belonged to two males but there was no match with the defendants, she said.
The chief judge had allowed Porntip to retest the hoe at the request of defence lawyers, reported the Guardian.
Thai police said last year that Myanmar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun had initially confessed to the killings. Both men later retracted their statements, saying they had been tortured into confessing.
The murder trial has been consumed by allegations of police incompetence and mishandling of evidence. Rights groups have also claimed the men are being used as scapegoats because of their status as foreign migrant workers in Thailand.
Witnesses, including police, doctors and people living on the island, are due to testify until Sept 25. A verdict is expected a month after the trial finishes.
