05/01/2006

Thailand murder - father makes appeal

The father of murdered Cardiff student Katherine Horton has made an appeal for information as he visited the murder scene in Thailand.

Miss Horton's father, Ian, and older brother, Christopher, visited the beach on the island of Koh Samui where her body was discovered on Monday morning.

Mr Horton said: "Katherine came to Thailand to dance on a beach; to ride an elephant; to have a vacation before her finals at university. She was full of confidence and felt immune to the dangers of this world, as we have all felt when we were young adults.

"Tragically, her faith in her fellow man let her down and she has been taken from us forever.

"I urge those who did this to come forward. The perpetrator is too cowardly to offer themselves to justice in Thailand. But there is a person here that knows. A person that can assist the police. Someone that can maybe save another life."

The 21-year-old psychology student was last seen on Sunday night, talking to her family on a mobile phone as she walked along the beach.

A post-mortem revealed that she had been hit on the head with a blunt object, before being dragged into the sea.

Further tests are being conducted to see if Miss Horton had been raped. On Wednesday, Thai police said that they were investigating the possibility that she had been sexually assaulted before she was killed.

It is understood that DNA samples are being collected from people who were in the area at the time of the murder.

(KMcA)

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06 January 2006
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Police in Thailand have been collecting DNA samples from a number of men as the search for the killer of British student Katherine Horton. The body of Miss Horton, 21, from Cardiff, was found off the island of Koh Samui on Monday. An autopsy revealed that she had been beaten before being dragged into the sea.
13 January 2006
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Two Thai fishermen are awaiting sentence for the rape and murder of British tourist Katherine Horton. Bualoi Posit, 23 and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, pleaded guilty to the charges against them at the court in Surat Thani in southern Thailand. The case has now been adjourned until Wednesday, when the men will face sentencing.
12 January 2006
Trial begins in Thai murder case
The trial of two fishermen accused of the rape and murder of British student Katherine Horton has begun in Thailand. The trial of Bualoi Posit, 23, and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, had been brought forward due to pressure from Thailand's government over the case.
03 January 2006
Murder investigation launched into Briton’s death in Thailand
Police have launched a murder investigation, following the discovery of the body of a British student in Thailand. The body of Katherine Horton, 21, was found in the sea of the island of Koh Samui yesterday morning. She had last been seen on Sunday night, walking along the beach, reportedly talking to her family on her mobile phone.
25 January 2006
Thai men to appeal death sentence
Two Thai fishermen sentenced to death for the rape and murder of British student Katherine Horton are appealing against their sentence. Bualoi Posit, 23 and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, were sentenced to death by lethal injection last week at a court in Thailand.