A VERDICT of unlawful killing has been recorded at the inquest into the death of Essex University student Hannah Witheridge, who was murdered in Thailand.

Norfolk Coroner's Court heard evidence from Ms Witheridge's mother, Susan, who told the inquest her daughter had chosen to go to Thailand at the last minute despite her family trying to change her mind.

She said the facts of her daughter's death, along with that of fellow backpacker David Miller on Koh Tao in September 2014 , were "brutal" and "too much to bear".