Hampshire Man May Have Been Murdered

A murder probe has been launched in Thailand after a Briton initially thought to have committed suicide by drowning was found to have serious head injuries.

Kevin Attew's body was found last Tuesday and his girlfriend and employees at his bar were convinced that he had committed suicide by throwing himself in a lake.

An initial post-mortem examination found that he had drowned, but best friend Crispin Paton-Smith was unconvinced and went to view Mr Attew's body.

He discovered that his friend, who had lived on the popular holiday island of Koh Samui for seven years, had wounds to his head and hands.

He said:

''I'd known Kevin for quite a few years and I've been with him in lots of different situations. I just couldn't imagine this guy just walking off and committing suicide. The whole thing just seemed very weird so I wanted to go and see him.

''From the photos I took in the morgue I doubt very much that he drowned, but his staff were adamant that he had committed suicide.''

Mr Attew, 57, from Aldershot, Hampshire, was found in a lake near the Chaweng resort that is only 1ft (30cm) deep.

His body has now been taken to the Thai mainland for a second post-mortem examination and a murder inquiry has been launched.

Mr Paton-Smith said there was a blood line on the body which suggested that Mr Attew had been left lying on the ground for some time before being put into the water.

He described his friend as ''a very friendly person'' and said he was ''liked by everybody''.