On the anniversary of their deaths, the families of murdered British pair express their continued grief

Hannah Witheridge, from Hemsby, and David Miller, from Jersey, were found dead last September

The families of two British tourists murdered in Thailand have spoken of their “torturous pain” and “destroyed lives” one year on from the deaths. Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found dead on the island of Koh Tao on 15 September last year.

Miss Witheridge’s family paid tribute to their “beautiful Hannah”. Mr Miller’s are planning a memorial bench. Two Burmese men are on trial for their murders. They deny any involvement. In a statement, Miss Witheridge’s family said their daughter had been “taken from us in the most horrific way possible” and learning of her death had been an “indescribably impossible time”. They added: “Along with her bubbly and exciting personality Hannah was extremely intelligent and, after earning a degree with first-class honours from the University of East Anglia, was working towards a masters degree in speech and language therapy in Essex. “She would have gone on to make a significant difference to the lives of many people.” Mr Miller’s family said their “daily thoughts” were still with their son a year after his death, adding he was “a unique and wonderful man”.