The King of Thailand has commuted the death sentence of two men on death row for killing a pair of British backpackers on a Thai island in 2014 to life imprisonment.

The bodies of 23-year-old Hanna Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller were discovered in September 2014 on a beach on Koh Tao, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand.

They had sustained severe head injuries. Witheridge had been raped.

Two Burmese men, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were arrested almost two weeks after the bodies were found. In 2015, they were both found guilty and sentenced to death. Now, they will instead face life imprisonment, said Nakhon Chompuchat, the two men's defence lawyer.

On Friday, the Thai king passed a mass royal pardon for those on death row who have exhausted all appeal options and have never before received a royal pardon.

The royal pardon was created in the spirit of the king's birthday, to offer convicted prisoners the opportunity to "reverse their behavior and become good citizens," says the text of the law.

The murders on the popular dive island of Koh Tao drew intense media attention from across the world.

The defence argued that the investigation was flawed due to "alleged mishandling of forensic evidence, abuse of suspects and intimidation of witnesses."

The two men, from Myanmar's Rakhine state, were working in the hospitality industry on the island at the time of the killings. After their arrest, they confessed but later recanted, saying their admissions of guilt were made under duress.

The King of Thailand has commuted the death sentence of two men on death row for killing a pair of British backpackers on a Thai island in 2014 to life imprisonment.

The King of Thailand has commuted the death sentence of two men on death row for killing a pair of British backpackers on a Thai island in 2014 to life imprisonment. The bodies of 23-year-old Hanna Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller were discovered in September 2014 on a beach on Koh Tao, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand. They had sustained severe head injuries. Witheridge had been raped. Two Burmese men, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were arrested almost two weeks after the bodies were found. In 2015, they were both found guilty and sentenced to death. Now, they will instead face life imprisonment, said Nakhon Chompuchat, the two men's defence lawyer. On Friday, the Thai king passed a mass royal pardon for those on death row who have exhausted all appeal options and have never before received a royal pardon. The royal pardon was created in the spirit of the king's birthday, to offer convicted prisoners the opportunity to "reverse their behavior and become good citizens," says the text of the law. The murders on the popular dive island of Koh Tao drew intense media attention from across the world. The defence argued that the investigation was flawed due to "alleged mishandling of forensic evidence, abuse of suspects and intimidation of witnesses." The two men, from Myanmar's Rakhine state, were working in the hospitality industry on the island at the time of the killings. After their arrest, they confessed but later recanted, saying their admissions of guilt were made under duress.

Thai king commutes sentences of two men on death row for killing British backpackers

A backpacker was repeatedly raped, beaten and choked during a two-month hostage ordeal in Australia, police alleged on Tuesday after she was rescued during a random traffic stop.

The 22-year-old, who court officials said was British, was visibly distressed and had injuries to her face when police pulled over the car she was driving on Monday near Mitchell in outback Queensland, 560 kilometres (350 miles) west of Brisbane.

A 22-year-old man was found hiding in the back of the vehicle.

Authorities say she had been &quot;held against her will and seriously assaulted over a period of several weeks&quot;.

Police said the pair met three months ago and agreed to go on a road trip, but it all went horribly wrong with the woman repeatedly attacked between January 2 and March 5 at various locations.

The man has been charged with a string of offences including four counts of rape, eight of assault, four of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty.

&quot;The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries including facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body,&quot; police said, with the man remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date.

Australia is a popular destination for young backpackers, with around 600,000 touring the country every year.

They occasionally run into trouble, most famously in the early 1990s when seven were murdered by Ivan Milat in a series of killings that terrified Australia.

Milat is serving consecutive life sentences after the remains of two Britons, three Germans and two Australians were found buried in a forest south-west of Sydney.

(AFP)

Authorities said the 22-year-old was found hiding in the back of a vehicle during a random traffic stop

A backpacker was repeatedly raped, beaten and choked during a two-month hostage ordeal in Australia, police alleged on Tuesday after she was rescued during a random traffic stop. The 22-year-old, who court officials said was British, was visibly distressed and had injuries to her face when police pulled over the car she was driving on Monday near Mitchell in outback Queensland, 560 kilometres (350 miles) west of Brisbane. A 22-year-old man was found hiding in the back of the vehicle. Authorities say she had been "held against her will and seriously assaulted over a period of several weeks". Police said the pair met three months ago and agreed to go on a road trip, but it all went horribly wrong with the woman repeatedly attacked between January 2 and March 5 at various locations. The man has been charged with a string of offences including four counts of rape, eight of assault, four of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty. "The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries including facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body," police said, with the man remanded in custody to appear in court at a later date. Australia is a popular destination for young backpackers, with around 600,000 touring the country every year. They occasionally run into trouble, most famously in the early 1990s when seven were murdered by Ivan Milat in a series of killings that terrified Australia. Milat is serving consecutive life sentences after the remains of two Britons, three Germans and two Australians were found buried in a forest south-west of Sydney. (AFP)

British backpacker held hostage, repeatedly raped for two months in Australia

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Thai king commutes sentences of two men on death row for killing British backpackers

British backpacker held hostage, repeatedly raped for two months in Australia