Pair Face Death Penalty Over Student's Murder

Two Thai fisherman were today sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a British backpacker at a Thai island resort.

Bualoi Posit, 23, and 24-year-old Wichai Somkhaoyai are to be executed by lethal injection for the New Year's Day attack on the student Katherine Horton.

Reading out the verdict, Judge Chamnong Sutchaimai said: "The crime they committed has terrified people. To prevent others from committing similar acts, the court rules that the two defendants be sentenced to death."

The defendants - who now have one month to appeal - were handcuffed, and kept their heads bowed as the verdict was read out. Bulaloi told reporters: "I'm sorry for what I did."

The two men last week pleaded guilty to raping 21-year-old Ms Horton, from Cardiff, before dumping her body in the sea.

The Reading University student was attacked by the men as she spoke to her mother, Elizabeth, on her mobile phone while walking along a beach. She heard her daughter scream before the line cut out.

Ms Horton's battered body was found floating in Lamai Bay by a jetskier the following day.

Following today's sentencing, her family thanked Thai police for helping them "seek an end to the uncertainties of this tragedy".

In a statement, they insisted that - contrary to some media reports - "our family have neither made their views known, nor expressed any comment, in relation to the court in Thailand imposing the death penalty".

"We reiterate that we do not want to be involved in the criminal and political processes of another country," the statement added.

"Our family would like to thank the authorities in Thailand, especially the Royal Thai police, for their diligent and speedy apprehension of the offenders."

The statement came after a newspaper report claimed Ms Horton's mother wanted the killers to be sentenced to life imprisonment rather than death.

Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, had made an unusual public appeal for the killers to receive the "hardest punishment" possible, saying the murder had hurt the country's image and could damage its tourism industry.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said British officials were "grateful to the Thai police for all their hard work with this case". He added: "The government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, and has made this clear."

A spokeswoman for Amnesty International said she was "disturbed" that the death sentence had been passed on the two men.

"Amnesty International opposes the death penalty for all crimes everywhere, because it is an extremely brutal punishment which has never been proven to provide a deterrent to committing crime," Sarah Green said.

"In this case, there are serious fair trial questions. The speedy nature of the trial meant the defence may not have had time to prepare an adequate defence, and the prime minister's intervention may have influenced the court."

Thai courts usually reduce such sentences to life imprisonment or less in cases in which defendants plead guilty.

Wichai and Bualoi were arrested on January 9 and confessed to the crime, but a trial was held on Friday, as is customary in Thailand for cases carrying a maximum sentence of capital punishment.

Defence attorneys presented no witnesses during the one-day trial at a Surat Thani court, which was fast-tracked through the court system because of the international attention surrounding the case.

Under interrogation prior to the trial, the fishermen allegedly told police they had been drinking and watching pornographic films on their boat before swimming to the shore, where they saw Ms Horton as she walked alone on a beach.

Prosecutors called eight witnesses during the trial, including a fisherman who testified that Wichai and Bualoi had told him they had raped and killed a western woman.

DNA tests showed semen found on Ms Horton's body belonged to the two suspects, police said.

Yesterday, more than 200 mourners gathered for Ms Horton's funeral at St Isan's Church, Llanishen, Cardiff, near the family home.