Killer of Edinburgh millionaire and wife set to escape death penalty in Thailand

Alan Hogg and his wife Nhot Suddaen were killed by her brother and two hitmen

THE man who killed an Edinburgh millionaire businessman and his wife at their mansion in Thailand is set to escape the death penalty.

Alan Hogg, 64, and his wife Nhot Suddaen, 61, were murdered by Nhot’s brother Warut Rattanasajjakit, 64, in a feud over money. Warut and two other men who helped him carry out the attack were sentenced to death by lethal injection by a Thai court in June last year.

But now Mr Hogg’s daughter Robyn, 33, says she has been told the death sentence, on Warut at least, has been quietly dropped.

The couple's bodies were found bured in the garden of the mansion

She is quoted saying she had received mixed messages from the Thai authorities.

“It’s difficult. We’re not happy about it. We don’t know if it’s one sentence or all the sentences. I’m told we have time to appeal.”

The bodies of Mr Hogg and his wife were found buried in the garden of their property near the town of Phrae in the north of Thailand in September 2018.

Mr Hogg had been killed by a shotgun near the swimming pool and Nhot had been bludgeoned to death with a car wrench in the garage.

Warut had paid two hitmen Kittipong Kamwan, 25, and Phia Kamsai, 64, to help him kill the couple.

All three were found guilty by Phrae Provincial Court of premeditated murder, concealing bodies, illegal possession of weapons without licences and bringing those weapons into the city without licences.

Police had accused Warut of plotting the murders to take control of Mr Hogg’s assets.

He was said to have been jealous of their luxury lifestyle while he lived in a wooden hut.

And he had allegedly been “angry and resentful” at being told off by Mr Hogg for constantly asking to borrow money.

The three men were arrested within a week of the couple being reported missing on September 20, 2018.

Bloodstains were reportedly found at the luxury mansion, allegedly with signs someone had tried to wipe it away.

A mobile phone was still charging at the three-storey house when police arrived to search the property.

The three men told police that they received a total of £1,175 (50,000 baht) from Warut to carry out the murder.

Warut was initially arrested after being seen on CCTV stealing the couple’s brand new white Ford Ranger pick-up truck. It was recovered 300 miles away in Ayutthaya near Bangkok, having been sold.

He was seen on CCTV entering and leaving the property, where he also worked, after the couple went missing. He denied any involvement in their disappearance and was released but was later rearrested for murder.

Police using excavation equipment discovered the couple’s bodies close to a duck pond. The three confessed to the murders, using a shotgun to kill Mr Hogg and a hammer to kill his wife in the garage.

Mr Hogg had lived in Thailand for several years. A renowned restaurateur, he launched laundry firm Professional Linen Services from his utility room in 1996 and later worked as an engineer. He and his wife were known to rear ducks, geese and cattle on the property, and made frequent and long trips to Australia.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We continue to support the family of a British couple who died in Thailand in 2018 and our staff are in contact with the local authorities.”