Friend's loss leaves void

BANGKOK - The travelling companion of murdered British backpacker Katherine Horton told of the "huge void" left in her life by the death of her best friend in Thailand.

Ruth Adams, from Bromley, Kent, said she was "encouraged" by the swift progress of the police investigation after two fishermen were charged yesterday with raping and killing Horton, 21. DNA tests were said to have linked them to the attack.

Adams said she became, "instant friends" with Horton when they met at Reading University, where they both studied psychology and shared a house.

Showing a photo taken on the final day she spent with her friend as they relaxed on Koh Samui Beach, she said: "We spent New Year's Day together, snorkelling and splashing around in the sea, sunbathing and chatting. Now all of that has gone for ever and there is a huge void in my life."

A police statement said: "Bualoi [Posit] wrestled the victim from behind, while Wichai [Somkhaoyai] used a stick to hit her repeatedly. They then dragged her to a secluded location to rape her."

Deputy police chief General Phrewphan Damaphong, said Posit, 23, admitted he assaulted and raped Horton, while Somkhaoyai, 24, denied raping her but confessed to being an accomplice to her murder. "The doctor confirmed that the semen found on the body of Katherine Horton belongs to Bualoi and Wichai and the court has issued an arrest warrant."

- INDEPENDENT