Luke Miller death riddle takes another twist as Brit bricklayer’s family says Thai cops tried to cover up his Koh Tao death
Luke was found at the bottom of the pool in Thailand in January
THE family of Luke Miller whose body was found in a swimming pool have accused Thai cops of trying to cover up his death.
Bricklayer Luke Miller, from Newport, Isle of Wight, was found at the bottom of the pool at the Sunset Bar at Sairee Beach on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand on January 8 2016.
A coroner ruled earlier this month that there is "no evidence" to suggest Luke was murdered.
The hearing was told that a post-mortem examination in Thailand showed that Mr Miller had a number of small bruises on his face and legs and gave a cause of death of head injuries and drowning.
Isle of Wight Coroner Caroline Sumeray said there was no evidence of murder and added: "It has been suggested this was a cover-up by the Thai authorities but there has been a very thorough police report."
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She also said: "I can only record a conclusion based on the evidence before me, I cannot speculate about what may have happened. This is a court of law not a court of speculation."
In a statement following the hearing, James Gissing, who was in Thailand with Luke, said he felt "police were covering up as it was the death of another foreigner on Koh Tao", referring to Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk and David Miller, 24, of Jersey, who were killed on the island in 2014.
David is not related to Luke.
Luke’s mother Sara Cotton wept after the verdict and vowed to continue the search for the truth.
She said: ''We are as satisfied as we could be with the verdict on the basis of the evidence the coroner had before her.
''But there are far too many inconsistencies in the police reports.We know what happened and we will continue to fight for justice. Luke was unlawfully killed.’'
Nicola Gissing, who was also on holiday with 26-year-old Luke when he died, has claimed her friend's death was no accident.
She wrote on Facebook: "Our friend Luke Miller arrived home yesterday and a second post mortem will be conducted as obviously the Thai officials would like this to be passed off as and accident. It was not!"
Known as Turtle Island, Koh Tao, is known to be a scuba diver's dream and has led to a boost in tourism numbers over recent years.
The spate of deaths has led the island being dubbed "Death Island" on social media.
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