TWO men found guilty of murdering an Essex University student backpacking in Thailand have lost an appeal against their death sentences.

The pair had been sentenced to death on Christmas Eve after being found guilty of the murders student Hannah Witheridge and friend David Miller, 24, on the Thai island of Koh Tao in September 2014.

DNA evidence proved “beyond reasonable doubt” the judges in the murder prosecution case ruled.

Lin and Phyo, both from Myanmar, then appealed against their death sentences.

It has been reported that a court in Koh Samui today upheld the death sentences given to the migrant workers.

The report said judges said evidence presented at the trial in December 2015 was adequate and reliable.

Miss Witheridge, 23, who had been living in Colchester while studying at the university, and Mr Miller, who was from Jersey, were beaten to death with a garden hoe and their bodies left for dead on a beach on the island.

Miss Witheridge, originally from Hemsby, in Norfolk, had also been raped.

Last year Essex University launched the Hannah Witheridge Award for Clinical Excellence in honour of the speech therapy Masters student.