The National Crime Agency supplied intelligence as well as location data from former Victoria College student David Miller’s phone to Thai detectives which helped send the two men to death row for their crimes.
Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both from Burma, were convicted of murder and rape in 2015 following a trial. They killed Mr Miller (24) with a garden hoe before raping Norfolk’s Hannah Witheridge (23) and murdering her with the same weapon on the island of Koh Tao in September 2014. The defendants have been sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Britain has tight restrictions on what help law enforcement authorities can provide to police abroad in cases where the suspects may be sentenced to death.
The Guardian newspaper has reported that on Tuesday the high court in London found against the NCA in a case brought by lawyers for Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo.
According to the report, the court found that the NCA breached government rules designed to prevent UK law enforcement from inadvertently aiding human rights abuses abroad – known as overseas security and justice assistance guidance – five times.
