The DNA samples taken from Warot Tuwichian did not match the DNA in semen retrieved from the body of British tourist Hannah Witheridge, who was raped and murdered on a Koh Tao beach, or on items found at the crime scene, said police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri late yesterday.
The four institutions that conducted the tests were the Police General, Ramathibodi, Chulalongkorn Memorial and Siriraj hospitals, he said.
“The results have been officially endorsed and there’s no need to send more samples abroad to be retested.
“Mr Warot is not a suspect in the case but he has cooperated with us well. As far as the police are concerned, he was cleared long ago. We only did this [DNA tests] to comply with his wish to prove his innocence to the public,” Pol Lt Gen Prawut said.
Mr Warot has been a subject of speculation and criticism in online media, in which he was suspected of being a perpetrator and the mastermind in covering up the crime.
He is the son of Hat Sairee village chief Woraphan who owns AC Bar where the two murdered tourists had a quarrel with some men before being killed later that night.
Zaw Lin and Win Za Htun have been charged with murdering David Miller, and killing and raping Witheridge. The suspects confessed during police interrogation but recanted their confessions on Oct 24, claiming they had been tortured by police to confess.
The police spokesman also said today (November 1) his office would take legal action against the owner of the “CSI LA” Facebook page which has been critical of officers in connection with the crime.
“We found the Facebook page’s administrator might want to destroy the credibility of Thailand’s judicial process. The page is also linked to a political movement seeking to discredit the government, as reflected by its posts during the People’s Democratic Reform Committee’s anti-government protests in the first half,” he said.
The general also claimed the page was created by a Thai citizen living abroad but was run by a team in Thailand.
“We already know who they are. We can’t disclose more information at this stage because we’re bringing them to be prosecuted under Section 14 of the 2004 Computer Crime Act for which penalty is five years in prison or a fine of up to B100,000.”
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