Thai murderers of British student sentenced to death

SURAT THANI – Two Thai fishermen were sentenced to death yesterday for raping and murdering British student Katherine Horton, after an unusually short trial and sustained political pressure.

“The court has ruled them guilty of all the crimes they were charged with and imposes the maximum penalty,” judge Jamnong Sudjaimai told the two men in the packed courtroom in the southern province of Surat Thani. “Such brutal and torturous behaviour of those two have shocked society, therefore the court sentenced them to death for committing murder to hide their crime.”Bualoi Posit, 23, and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, who face execution by lethal injection, pleaded guilty last Thursday to charges of rape and the pre-meditated murder of the 21-year-old Horton on the resort island of Samui.They have 30 days to appeal.Wichai told reporters he would appeal, but Bualoi’s lawyer said he needed to discuss this with his family.Police say the pair had watched pornographic movies on their boat before swimming ashore to rape Horton, who was studying at Reading University near London and was on holiday on Koh Samui with a friend over the New Year.Horton’s body was found in the sea just off Samui on January 2 and her killers were arrested on January 9.Three days later they were charged in court.After they were sentenced, the two looked grim as they faced reporters and television crews who packed the courtroom.”I am sorry for what I have done,” Wichai said.”I apologise for ruining the country’s image.”The whole process from arrest to trial was unusually quick for Thailand, where tourism is an important industry, after the case drew the attention of international media.Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for the most severe penalty even though the suspects confessed – a move which normally persuades courts to avoid the death penalty – which is rarely carried out.The last announced publicly was in 2003.According to Amnesty International, about 900 people were thought to be on death row in 2005, but there were no executions.- Nampa-Reuters”Such brutal and torturous behaviour of those two have shocked society, therefore the court sentenced them to death for committing murder to hide their crime.”Bualoi Posit, 23, and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, who face execution by lethal injection, pleaded guilty last Thursday to charges of rape and the pre-meditated murder of the 21-year-old Horton on the resort island of Samui.They have 30 days to appeal.Wichai told reporters he would appeal, but Bualoi’s lawyer said he needed to discuss this with his family.Police say the pair had watched pornographic movies on their boat before swimming ashore to rape Horton, who was studying at Reading University near London and was on holiday on Koh Samui with a friend over the New Year.Horton’s body was found in the sea just off Samui on January 2 and her killers were arrested on January 9.Three days later they were charged in court.After they were sentenced, the two looked grim as they faced reporters and television crews who packed the courtroom.”I am sorry for what I have done,” Wichai said.”I apologise for ruining the country’s image.”The whole process from arrest to trial was unusually quick for Thailand, where tourism is an important industry, after the case drew the attention of international media.Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for the most severe penalty even though the suspects confessed – a move which normally persuades courts to avoid the death penalty – which is rarely carried out.The last announced publicly was in 2003.According to Amnesty International, about 900 people were thought to be on death row in 2005, but there were no executions.- Nampa-Reuters