Pornthip Rojanasunand gave evidence yesterday after previously being allowed to retest a bloodied garden hoe found at the scene of the murders on the island of Koh Tao.
She told the court that her tests had revealed one full and one partial DNA profile – both male – but that neither matched DNA samples given by Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin or Wai Phyo, who potentially face the death penalty if found guilty.
The pair, who deny the murders, initially confessed, but later retracted their statements, claiming they had been tortured and threatened by police while being interrogated.
Last week Zaw Lin gave evidence, telling the court that he had been beaten, had a plastic bag placed over his head and told he would be killed and dumped at sea while police asked him: ‘Did you kill?’.
Dr Rojanasunand has previously criticised the Thai police’s handling of the murder scene, on Koh Tao’s Sairee beach, where Mr Miller (24) and Miss Witheridge (23) were found last September.
She also questioned why the bodies were moved – potentially leading to the destruction of evidence – and raised concerns over the authority’s failure to test certain blood samples found at the scene.
Thai media outlets seized on her rise to fame years ago, nicknaming her ‘Dr Death’ for a time, after she worked on a number of high-profile cases.
She became so well-known that there is now a waxwork statue of her in Bangkok’s Madame Tussauds.
Before giving her testimony yesterday Dr Rojanasunand told reporters in Koh Samui that she would perform her duty with complete impartiality and that she was appearing to present information about the case’s forensic science.
While giving evidence, Thai police claimed they had matched DNA taken from the victims’ bodies to the two defendants, but also went on to confirm that they failed to take DNA samples from the alleged murder weapon.
Officers also denied claims they had tortured Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo into confessing, saying the men had freely admitted to the murders.
The case has attracted the attention of international human rights lawyers who last month called for an inquiry into the claims of police mistreatment made by the defendants.
A verdict is expected next month.
- September 15 2014: The bodies of Islander David Miller (24) and 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge are found on the Thai island of Koh Tao.
- October 3 2014: Two Burmese men, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 21 at the time, are arrested and charged with the murders following DNA analysis. The pair then confessed to the killings.
- October 3 2014: Hundreds of Islanders attend the funeral of David Miller at Trinity Church
- October 8 2014: A petition emerges on line calling for British detective to launch their own investigation into the murders following allegations that the Burmese defendants may have been set up
- October 9 2014: The defendants withdraw their confessions and claim they were tortured by Thai police
- October 20 – 23 2014: The UK Foreign Office announce that British detectives will travel to Thailand to oversee the investigation following an intervention from Prime Minister David Cameron.
- November 28 2014: The defendants are denied bail by a court in Koh Samui
- December 9 2014: The families of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge express their relief that the investigation is progressing but call for a fair and transparent trial
- December 26 2014: The defendants appear at court in Koh Samui for the start of their trial. However it is postponed until July to allow for more witnesses to come forward.
- February 19 2015: A lawyer representing the defendants calls for witnesses including other migrant works and British tourists to come forward
- April 30 2015: Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo appear in court for the first time since December. The judge grants the defence teams request for DNA evidence to be re-examined.
