British retiree, Thai wife murdered in grisly killing
BANGKOK: The bodies of a wealthy British retiree and his Thai wife were found buried on their own property on Tuesday a week after an alleged contract killing that implicated the woman’s brother, police said.
Alan Hogg was shot while his wife Nhot Suddaen was bludgeoned to death with a hammer at their villa in the northern province of Phrae by men paid 50,000 baht ($1,540).
Their bodies were discovered on Tuesday morning in graves two metres deep (around six feet) on their own land, Colonel Manas Kerdsukho, police commander in Phrae, said.
Three suspects have been arrested, including Nhot’s elder brother Varut Rattanasajjakit, the alleged mastermind accused of paying the killers.
“The motive for the killings was a long-running internal family conflict, feuds and property,” Manas said.
He added that prime suspect Varut was arrested later on Tuesday and one of the alleged accomplices told authorities he helped carry out the murder. Varut denies all allegations. British media reports described Hogg, 64, as a millionaire from Edinburgh who built a lavish home with a swimming pool in the province not far from the Laos border.
A Thai television station showed footage of an excavator digging up mounds of dirt in a search for the bodies.
A spokesperson for Britain’s foreign office said staff was “providing support” for the family of the victims and are in contact with local authorities.