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" A Thai police officer discovered the bodies of two semi-clothed backpackers near rocks spotted with blood, a court has heard.  The trial of two 21-year-old men accused of the brutal murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, began in Thailand today.  Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo stand accused of rape and murder after a police officer found the British backpackers&amp;#039; bodies in September. They were yards apart and Hannah&amp;#039;s body showed signs of sexual assault. Lieutenant Jakrapan Kaewkao said: &amp;quot;I found a man&amp;#039;s body lying on the beach with seawater lapping his body.&amp;quot; He added: &amp;quot;Then I found the woman&amp;#039;s body behind the rocks.&amp;quot; Lin and Phyo confessed in October but later retracted their statements, claiming they had admitted to the crimes after being tortured. New evidence from the British authorities may prove the men to be innocent.  Lead defence lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat said: &amp;quot;We have received information from Britain that shows inconsistencies in the prosecution case. It is significant evidence.&amp;quot; There were no witnesses to the murders so the trial will rely on forensic evidence. But police have been criticised for not sealing the crime scene properly, meaning important evidence could have been destroyed or contaminated. David&amp;#039;s family said:   &amp;quot;Just hours before he died David was talking to us with his usual enthusiasm, describing the beauty of Koh Tao and the friendliness of the Thai people.&amp;quot;  Both Hannah and David&amp;#039;s parents have been present at the trial. Hannah&amp;#039;s family said:  &amp;quot;Hannah was a beautiful person, inside and out, she brought a room alive just being there. &amp;quot;She was fun, honest and loved life. &amp;quot;Her bright future was brutally ended leaving those who loved her broken with no answers.&amp;quot;  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/reports/news/a37081/trial-british-backpackers-hannah-witheridge/>