Family hopes trial of killer will help them to move on

THE family of a Lothian schoolteacher killed in Thailand said they hope his killer will finally be brought to justice so they can put the tragic death behind them.

Awoei Yaepiang, 23, was due to appear in court in Thailand today after pleading guilty to robbing and murdering former Lasswade High music teacher David Crisp in January last year.

He is the only man set to answer for the killing after his former co-accused, Chatchai Tarasaksit, also 23, changed his plea to not guilty. He is currently in prison after pleading guilty to handling stolen goods, but it is unclear whether this was related to the possessions stolen from Mr Crisp or a separate charge.

A third man, known only as Mr Jack, is still on the run, and was last believed to be hiding in Burma.

After the killing Mr Awoei was paraded before Thai press where he demonstrated how he slit the 56-year-old's throat before bludgeoning him repeatedly with a teak vase.

Mr Awoei and his accomplices then raided Mr Crisp's possessions, including around 3000 stolen from a safe, before making off in his car.

Some speculated that Mr Crisp, who was also an accomplished composer, had been the victim of a Thai ritual killing but his family later dismissed these reports as fantasy.

His sister-in-law Susan said: "We are very private people and we didn't like some of the voyeuristic things that were being said about David.

"The man has pleaded guilty so he'll probably get a relatively lenient sentence, but hopefully the trial will put an end to it and we'll be able to get on with our lives."

Mr Crisp's brother Andrew said: "From my experience in one of the earlier hearings I attended, Thai courts do things very differently from us. Their courts are very formal, but quite strange.

"The man that killed David is going to have to face the punishment, but in the end it's not going to bring David back.

"We're moving on with our lives now so whatever happens in court isn't going to change anything."

Mr Crisp has been honoured with a number of memorial concerts, including a concert by his former music pupils at Lasswade High and a concert at Nicolson Square Church by The Open Orchestra, the ensemble he helped to found.

The family is currently compiling his music manuscripts, a process which they said could take a number of years. One of his compositions - a suite entitled Doi Suthep - formed the centrepiece of the Open Orchestra memorial concert.

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