Koh Tao rape claim: Thai police dismiss British teenager's case

Police in Thailand have dismissed a British tourist's claims she was drugged, raped and robbed on a resort island after their investigation found no supporting evidence.

They revealed officers had travelled to the UK to speak to the 19-year-old woman and said she was not able to provide key details about where the alleged incident took place, how it unfolded or a detailed description of the suspect.

Thai police said they had insufficient evidence to continue looking into the claims.

It comes after the teenager told reporters she believed she was drugged on the island of Koh Tao in June by someone who spiked her drink.

She said she woke up on a beach to find she had been raped and robbed.

But Thailand's police commissioner General Chakthip Chaijinda said: "In conclusion, there's no new evidence."

Officers said they examined a shirt handed in by the woman and found no traces of semen on it.

The claimant said police initially refused to accept her rape complaint but authorities claimed she did not file one to begin with.

The country's acting immigration police chief, Major General Surachet Hakphal, who said it was the first time Thai police had flown abroad to look into a case, said officers started investigating after seeing news reports of the woman's claims online and in newspapers.

However, despite police dropping the case he said the woman would not be charged for filing a false police complaint as she did not officially file one.

The police chief added: "Whenever something like this happens at an important tourist spot in Thailand, not just Koh Tao, but in all spots, we have to reveal the truth."

The island where the alleged incident took place has long been a hotspot for foreign backpackers but has recently gained an unsavoury reputation.

In 2014, British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were beaten to death on a Koh Tao beach.

Two Burmese workers were convicted of their deaths but protesters in Myanmar said they were scapegoats.