Kwai couple killer jailed for life

The father of a Devon man killed with his girlfriend in Thailand has said their killer "cannot expect us to give him any mercy" as he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The father of a Devon man killed with his girlfriend in Thailand has said their killer "cannot expect us to give him any mercy" as he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Adam Lloyd, 25, and Vanessa Arscott, 23, were shot dead in the tourist town of Kanchanaburi, known for the infamous bridge over the River Kwai, on 9 September.

Her family said earlier they were "hoping and praying" that police Sergeant Somchai Visetsingha would be found guilty, and today, Adam's father Brian said after the verdict: "No form of punishment will ever bring our children back. We trust that the sentence given to the butcher will be served in full.

"He showed them no mercy and cannot expect us to give him any mercy."

The parents of both victims, along with three other relatives and several friends, sat with a translator in one corner of the courthouse in Kanchanaburi, 70 miles west of Bangkok.

Mr Lloyd said that Somchai was likely to appeal the verdict and that the case could drag on for years.

The handcuffed policeman, wearing black trousers and shirt, sat with his eyes downcast as the judge read a lengthy description of the crime before handing down the sentence. Judge Dilok Boonthawinant said the death sentence was not meted out because during interrogation he confessed to the killings.