Fishermen tested in hunt for Briton's killer

Investigators trying to identify the killer of a British woman found murdered on a beach in southern Thailand today started taking DNA samples from fisherman on boats near the beach where her mobile phone was found.

The battered body of Katherine Horton, 21, who was holidaying on the island of Koh Samui, was discovered on January 2 by a jet skier in the Gulf of Thailand.

Miss Horton, from Cardiff, Wales, was last seen strolling alone on a beach of Koh Samui on the evening of New Year’s Day.

A post-mortem examination indicated she had been beaten about the head before she drowned.

Police Major General Asawin Khwanmuang, who is leading the investigation, said that police were collecting DNA samples from fishermen on five boats that were near the area where the phone was found.

Last week, a British couple on holiday in Thailand found Miss Horton’s mobile phone as they strolled on the beach.

The couple returned to Koh Samui from Bangkok last night to show police where they found the phone, Asawin said.

Tests on Miss Horton’s body found traces of semen that investigators believe could have come from her killer. Police said on Thursday that she was believed to have been killed by a single person.

A dozen men have been questioned in connection with her death and Asawin said police were waiting for the DNA test results and did not have any suspects yet.

Police are also testing DNA samples from three young men – including a fugitive attempted murder suspect – who left Koh Samui, which is 280 miles south of Bangkok, shortly after Miss Horton’s death, he said.

Lt Col Pattana Kitkailart, who performed the post mortem on Miss Horton in Bangkok, said an examination of DNA from 15 men yielded no match with the semen from the victim’s body. Pattana said he was checking the DNA of seven more men, but did not elaborate on the details of who was being tested.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he is being constantly updated on the case.

“I believe that the investigating team will be able to catch and prosecute the suspect,” he said last night.