Thai police and prosecutors say DNA evidence points towards the two 22-year-old suspects, but the defence claims the men have been scapegoated by an under pressure police force who bungled their investigation and coerced confessions from the pair.
Much of the defence’s case revolves around a bid to retest key forensic evidence, including DNA on cigarettes and a condom found near the crime scene as well as DNA swabs taken from the victims' bodies.
"The DNA on the cigarettes is all finished," the head of police on the nearby island of Koh Pha Ngan told the defence team outside the courtroom on Koh Samui today.
"The DNA samples taken from the bodies are not my responsibility. They are in Bangkok," Police Lt Col Somsak Nurod added.
The court is due to rule tomorrow (July 10) on whether the swabs held at Thailand’s Central Institute of Forensic Science in Bangkok may be retested, the defence team told AFP.
"If they say [the DNA] is finished, it’s finished. Maybe our [forensic] expert will discuss on the stand whether it can be used or not. I don’t know," Lead defence lawyer Nakhon Chomphuchart said.