Man accused of murdering British backpackers in Thailand says his 'confession' was obtained through torture

His mother had to leave the courtroom to vomit while listening to his account of his alleged torture

Zaw Lin (right) and Win Zaw Htun arrive at the court in Koh Samui (ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/Reuters)

One of the men accused of murdering two British backpackers in Thailand last year has claimed that his 'confession' was obtained through torture.

Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were murdered on a beach on the island of Koh Tao in September 2014. It is understood that the two travellers had met on the island while staying at the same hotel.

Post mortem examinations showed that both had suffered severe head wounds, and that Ms Witheridge had been raped.

Two 22-year-old bar workers on the island, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, were accused of the murders. But as reported by Sky News, Lin has claimed that his initial confession to the murders was false, and obtained through torture.

Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, who were murdered on a beach in Thailand in September 2014 (PA)

He told a court on the neighbouring island of Koh Samui that he was woken up at night in October 2014 by ten men in the dormitory that he shared with other workers.

He said that he and other workers were handcuffed and taken outside. He was separated from the rest, and taken to somewhere that was not a police station.

He said that his interrogators suffocated him by putting plastic bags over his head, and repeatedly asked him: 'Did you kill?'

This procedure apparently continued until Lin collapsed.

Lin and Htun initially confessed to the murders and rape of Ms witheridge, but later retracted their confessions after they were given access to legal representation.

Lin's mother was forced to leave the courtroom and vomit after listening to his testimony.

Lin claims that on the night Witheridge and Miller were murdered, he was drinking with friends on the same beach.

Hannah Witheridge's relatives hug ahead of a police briefing in Bangkok, three days after the young woman was found dead. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

He says that he and Htun decided to have a swim in the sea, leaving a guitar in a nearby bar and Htun leaving his shirt and shoes on the shore.

When they came out of the sea, he said the clothes and guitar were gone. They looked for their possessions, but eventually decided to give up, and went to sleep at a friend's house between 2am and 3am.

The trial continues.