A Thai woman, accused of murdering her seven year old son in the UK, made an appearance at Swansea Crown Court this week. The defence team described the case as “extremely complicated.”
The Thai woman, 42 year old Papaipit Linse, who remains in custody, appeared in court but did not enter a plea. John Hipkin KC, representing Papaipit , requested that she not be arraigned due to the psychiatric complexities of the case, highlighting the need for additional time to complete necessary reports. Judge Paul Thomas KC adjourned the case to a further hearing scheduled for October 25. A trial date has not yet been set.
The prosecution team is led by Caroline Rees KC, while John Hipkin KC handles the defence. During the brief court session, no new details of the case were disclosed.
Police were called to an address in Upper Market Street, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, shortly before 10.45am on January 10. Despite the efforts of emergency services, the child, Louis, was later confirmed dead. He was transported to Withybush General Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 12pm.
In January, during a hearing at Pembrokeshire Coroner’s Court, coroner’s officer PC Carrie Sheridan said, “At 10.44am on Wednesday, January 10, police received an emergency phone call reporting the suspected death of a child. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services at the scene and medical staff at the hospital, he was pronounced deceased at 12pm.”
Further details are expected to emerge as the case progresses in the coming months, reported Pattaya News.
The British backpacker murderers have made fresh appeals against their sentence claiming they are innocent of beating an English couple to death in Thailand ten years ago
Two Burmese bar workers were accused of murdering British couple David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on Koh Tao Island in 2014. The bar workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, who have consistently maintained their innocence, stated they have spent a decade behind bars for a crime they did not commit.
The alleged murderers, now both 29, penned letters to the Thai authorities appealing against their sentence, claiming they were framed for the two murders on the notorious backpackers’ destination Koh Tao, also known as “Death Island.”
Zaw Lin wrote to his legal team pleading with them to make a fresh appeal.
“I have been in prison [for] almost 10 years for nothing, it’s unbelievable. Could you please retrial again my case? I’ve never seen the people who died on the beach at Koh Tao.”
The accused killers criticised Thai detectives for conducting a “botched” investigation. The Daily Mirror disclosed that they have received visits from a delegation of solicitors in prison, which includes a British justice campaigner.
Picture of Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo at the public reenactment of the crime
Zaw Lin has written several letters from Thailand’s notorious Bang Kwang jail, also known as the Bangkok Hilton, demanding he be freed because he claims he is innocent.
“I will be 29 this month. It’s so sad to know that I am wasting my young life away for nothing. I think I will get out of prison in a few more years… as I have already been in prison a long time. They should set me free now. I am sad to think I wasted my young life in prison for nothing.”
David, originally from St Helier, Jersey, and Hannah, hailing from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, both travelled independently to Thailand where they crossed paths during their journeys. David embarked on his trip after completing his undergraduate degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Leeds. Scheduled to start a master’s degree, he was backpacking with a friend following a six-week work placement in Australia.
During a police investigation, the two perpetrators were compelled to reenact the crime. Clad in crash helmets, police vests, and handcuffs, they demonstrated how they brutally attacked Hannah and David with a garden hoe.
Hannah, holding a first-class degree from the University of East Anglia, was pursuing a master’s degree in speech and language therapy in Essex.
David and Hannah were last sighted at the AC Bar with friends before departing together after 1 am on September 15, 2014. Their lifeless bodies were discovered on Sairee Beach, close to their hotel, around 4.30 am by a beach cleaner. Hannah had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, while David had sustained head injuries and drowned.
Death Island
The murders brought attention to Koh Tao, a tourist hotspot dubbed “Death Island” due to a series of fatal incidents. Zaw Lin and Zaw Tun were apprehended and confessed initially, but later recanted their statements, alleging torture. Prosecutors presented DNA evidence from cigarette butts connecting them to David’s murder and the rape and murder of Hannah.
However, their trial in Koh Samui revealed that DNA from two distinct individuals was found on the garden hoe believed to be the murder weapon. Advocates argue they were framed by Thai authorities keen on maintaining the country’s tourist-friendly reputation.
Zaw Lin asserted that the forensic evidence connecting him to the garden hoe was flawed.
“The DNA they found out is probably from cigarettes and not from the dead bodies [sic]. They didn’t actually have any other concrete evidence to convict and give me [the] death sentence.
“Amnesty is for all who stay with good behaviour in prison. I think just [a] few people were released with the amnesties over the years… and go home. The rest never saw the amnesties which were delivered between 2020 and 2023. I hope the next amnesties won’t be like that as the Government has changed.”
The Burmese migrants were informed that they would face execution by lethal injection in 2015. However, their death sentences were commuted in 2020 due to a royal pardon, and they were instead sentenced to life imprisonment. At that time, David’s family expressed gratitude to the Thai authorities for sparing their lives but stated their wish for the pair to spend “a very long time in jail where they cannot harm other families.”
Release dates
In January of this year, the legal team representing the killers reached out to Thai authorities seeking “clarity” regarding efforts to reduce their sentences. However, they were informed that the release dates would remain unchanged.
Campaigners argue that the pair should be acquitted due to contamination of the crime scene and flaws in the forensic methodology.
Andy Hall, an international affairs adviser for their legal defence team, confirmed that lawyers and translators recently visited the pair in prison to address “their requests for clarity in their sentence reduction.”
“Any further support regarding appeals against their convictions could only be explored if and when new and credible witnesses or evidence came to light or was passed to them, at which stage the legal defence team remains ready to consider such evidence and respond accordingly.”
Authorities launched a manhunt for the ex-partner of a TikTok star after her body was discovered in an abandoned pond at a well-known temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
The gruesome discovery was made yesterday, prompting an immediate police investigation into the murder of the 32 year old influencer, Thuzar Aung, known by her nickname, Sa.
Residents alerted the police after spotting the corpse in the disused water pit at the back of the market near Wat Thao Kot. The initial assumption by the police is that the body belongs to Sa, a Myanmar national who was reported missing on March 3.
Sa, known for her vibrant social media presence, had been living alone in Nakhon Si Thammarat for several months. The TikTok star worked at a local coffee shop and supplemented her income by selling fresh chicken and doing odd jobs at the Huai Brick market. She was remembered by those who knew her as cheerful and friendly, always with a bright disposition.
The operation to retrieve the body was arduous. Rescue workers struggled for more than two and a half hours to pull the bloated corpse from the 5-metre-deep water pit. The complexity of the task was exacerbated by the pit’s concrete partitions, requiring rescuers to break through the upper layer to create enough space for extraction.
Once the body was recovered, forensic experts and doctors meticulously collected evidence and conducted a thorough examination. Three stab wounds were found on the body, one on the throat and two on the chest. Meanwhile, police investigations revealed that Sa rented a room in Nakhon Si Thammarat and led a quiet life. The TikTok star owned two motorcycles, one of which, a purple Honda Summer X, was found at the scene.
CCTV evidence
CCTV footage revealed that on the day she disappeared, Sa returned home from her job at around 4.30pm to 5pm. Shortly after, she was seen leaving on her other bike, a pink big bike, wearing a red shirt and black jeans: clothes that matched those on the found body.
Further investigation led to the discovery that her ex-partner, 27 year old Pitthaya Bunyatsak aka Nai, had been spotted riding Sa’s big bike on March 4 around 8.30am to 10am. He was seen inquiring about the price of gold, which he allegedly carried 3 bahts in weight. Nai then hired a motorbike taxi to go to Soi Mitrsamphanth, where he abandoned Sa’s bike outside her relative’s house. He then took public transportation to Phuket.
Friends of Sa recall that Nai had recently asked her for a loan of 100,000 baht, which leads to suspicion of his involvement in her disappearance and death, reported Sanook.
The police are intensifying their efforts to apprehend Nai, who is believed to have fled to Phuket following the crime.
A brutal murder in Pattaya led to a police chase spanning over 18 kilometres after a 31 year old Grab and Bolt driver, named Thanathip, was found dead from stab wounds before his body was burnt with four tyres in an apparent effort to cover the crime.
The suspects, believed to be a 22 year old man named Wa and his 16 year old female accomplice, named Ice (pseudonym), fled to Phitsanulok but were eventually apprehended in an apartment complex.
The shocking incident took place in the Huay Yai Police jurisdiction before the body was moved to the Nong Prue area, approximately 18 kilometres away. The victim, Thanathip, was lured to Wat Nong Yai in Na Klua, Banglamung, Chon Buri, under the pretence of a passenger pick-up. Upon arrival, it is claimed that a payment dispute ensued which led to Thanathip being fatally stabbed.
The culprits identified as Wa, and Ice, reportedly loaded the body into Thanathip’s Toyota Yaris, bearing the license plate KH7103 Ubon Ratchathani. They attempted to cover their tracks by setting the body on fire with stolen motorcycle tyres in the Nong Prue area.
Police Major General Somprasong Yenthuam, Commander of Region 2, ordered Police Lieutenant Colonel Theerachai Chumnanam, Deputy Chief of Crime Suppression Division Region 2, to track down the suspects.
Their movements led the police to Phitsanulok where they were hiding out. The assistance of Police Lieutenant Colonel Sawai Krutphasuk, Chief of Crime Suppression Division Region 6, and Police Colonel Sarawut Khanin, Deputy Chief of Crime Suppression Division Region 6, was sought to apprehend the perpetrators.
Wa and Ice were eventually arrested at an apartment in Mueang, Phitsanulok. Wa confessed to the crime, explaining that after the murder, he and his accomplice drove to Bangkok to sell the victim’s car. They then travelled to Mo Chit Bus Terminal by train before taking a bus to Phitsanulok to evade the police.
Police handed over the suspects to the Region 2 authorities to proceed with legal actions. The tragic case has shocked the community and raised serious concerns about the safety of ride-hail drivers. As the case continues to unfold, it serves as a grim reminder of the risks associated with the profession, reported KhaoSod.
