Dad of Melbourne teen Holly Morton-Bowles stunned by legal blow
The families of two Australian backpackers who died after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos have received devastating news that neither will face serious prison sentences for their daughters’ deaths.
Almost two years after Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones unknowingly drank methanol in backpacker hotspot Vang Vieng, the families have yet to hear directly from Lao authorities.
Most of the information they received came piecemeal from loved ones of other young travelers (two Danish women, an American man and a British woman) who died in the same incident. On Thursday, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said Lao authorities were unlikely to pursue charges that, if proven, could land the operators of the Tiger alcohol brand at least five years in prison.
Instead, DFAT told them the most serious charge that could be leveled against Tiger carried a maximum sentence of just one year and a fine.
“It is very difficult to put into words the disappointment we are feeling,” Holly’s father, Shaun Bowles, told this imprint late Thursday.
“But I think at the same time, what’s happening there isn’t much of a surprise. We’ve literally reached a new point.” [the information] We’ve been trying to process this for the last few hours and right now.
“We got a lot of conflicting stories from Lao officials. But I always thought, what if they hadn’t done this?” [already] They’ve collected the evidence… They won’t be able to collect any more evidence this late in the investigation. And we are all aware of the corruption and everything that is going on there.”
Meanwhile, Bianca’s father Mark Jones has reportedly pleaded with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to contact his counterpart in Laos.
“It’s disgusting that our girls think their lives are worth just a year in prison or a lump sum fine,” she said. told messenger of the sun.
The information provided to the families came ahead of the Lao Ministry of Public Security’s so-called press conference on Friday afternoon local time. Laos is a one-party communist state that does not tolerate a free press.
“I am aware of the information [about prosecutions] The DFAT letter sent to families and seen by this imprint said “what you expect to hear will not happen”.
“It is also not consistent with what Lao officials have previously told us about possible charges being investigated.”
The Melbourne friends died after drinking methanol during a shot giveaway at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in November 2024. Two Danish women, an American man and a British woman staying in the hostel also died.
In January, a Lao court ordered suspended sentences and fined 10 staff members of the hostel for tampering with evidence in the American’s case. This imprint understands that no one has yet appeared in court over the Australian’s death.
The night the backpackers fell ill, the hostel was serving Tiger vodka and shots from whiskey bottles, but it’s unclear whether the contents actually came from the Tiger factory or from moonshine widely produced in backyards.
The brand, sold in 700 ml bottles for approximately $2.50 a bottle, was banned by Lao authorities following the poisonings.
Methanol is a deadly byproduct in the production of potable alcohol (ethanol) and must be removed before sale.
Tiger’s operators denied responsibility. In April, when this imprint tracked down a woman interested in this business on the outskirts of Vientiane, she said that the woman did not actually produce vodka and whiskey, but instead purchased hospital-grade alcohol from a pharmacy and diluted it with water and flavorings.
He claimed that tests carried out on the product were already suitable for Tiger and that, to his knowledge, no legal action had been taken yet.
But the Department of Public Safety told the Australian government on Thursday that the business would face court action on charges of illegal activity, according to the DFAT letter.
If proven, the maximum penalty is one year in prison and a $640 fine. The business can also be accused of selling goods that are harmful to health, and this penalty will be a maximum of $960.
The more serious charge under Article 183 of the Lao Penal Code, violating hygiene laws, could have brought a five-year prison sentence if found to have caused someone’s death, but this now seems unlikely.
“Although they fall short of stating definitively that Section 183 will not apply, the explanation provided shows that the prosecutor did not consider that he had sufficient evidence to establish the necessary legal link between Tiger alcohol and the deaths of Holly and Bianca,” DFAT said in its letter.
DFAT had previously apologized to the families for not informing them and appointed former ambassador to Cambodia and the United Arab Emirates Pablo Kang as a “special envoy” on the case, bypassing the ambassador. Despite this, news about Friday’s “press conference” also came from other families.
Australia allocated a foreign aid budget of $64 million to Laos this year.
Zach Hope is a Southeast Asia correspondent. He is a former reporter for the Brisbane Times.Connect via email.
