Court sentences killers of British sailor

PHUKET CITY: Two Burmese fishermen were sentenced to 25 years in prison for the March 2009 murder of British yachtsman Malcolm Robertson off the coast of Thailand’s Satun province, The Guardian has reported.

At the time of the murder, the semi-retired couple were on their way from Phuket to Malaysia’s Langkawi Island, where they planned to leave their yacht and fly back to the UK.

For earlier reports click here, here and here.

The Foreign Office confirmed that two adult Burmese nationals had been sentenced at Satun Provincial Court on Thursday.

The verdict has not yet been reported in the mainstream Thai-language media.

As both men pleaded guilty to the charges, their sentences were halved, to 25 years and eight months each.

As a minor, a 17-year-old boy also convicted of murder in the case will get a much lighter sentence.

He will be held in custody until he reaches the age of 24.

The trio, arrested about a week after the killing, said they were desperate for food and water after being marooned on the tiny island where the Robertsons had decided to anchor their sailboat Mr Bean.