Crime25 April, 20266 min read
Enzo Bettamio Extradited From Dubai, Charged With Murder of Kamonnan Thiamphanit in London
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Enzo Bettamio, 18, extradited from Dubai to the UK to face murder charges. Charged with stabbing Kamonnan Thiamphanit, also known as Angela, to death.
Extradition and charge
An 18-year-old man, Enzo Bettamio, was extradited from Dubai to the UK and charged with the murder of 27-year-old Kamonnan Thiamphanit, also known as Angela. The Times of India reported that Bettamio was brought back on Friday and formally charged upon arrival, with police saying he was set to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court. My London said Bettamio was extradited on Friday, April 24, and formally charged the next day, with him due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, April 25.
“He was extradited yesterday (Friday, April 24) and formally charged with Angela’s murder the next day.”
The BBC reported that Bettamio was put on a flight from Dubai to the UK on Friday and then formally charged, appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday and being remanded into custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 28 April. Multiple outlets described the victim as being found at her home address in Stanhope Place, with the BBC saying she was found with multiple stab wounds at her home address in Westminster on 8 April 2024 and pronounced dead at the scene.
The Mirror and Birmingham Live both said no plea was entered, and both reported that Bettamio was remanded into custody to appear at the Old Bailey on April 28. In court, Bettamio wore a grey, prison-issue tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth, according to the BBC, My London, and the Irish News.
What happened to Angela
The case centers on the death of Kamonnan Thiamphanit, also known as Angela, who police said was found dead at her home in Stanhope Place near Hyde Park on April 8, 2024. The Times of India said officers forced entry into the property and that, according to the Metropolitan Police, she had suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Independent described her as being found by police at her property in Stanhope Place, Bayswater, at around 8.30am on April 8 2024 with multiple stab wounds, and it said she was pronounced dead at the scene.
My London similarly said she was found by police at her home in Stanhope Place, Marble Arch, at about 8.30am on April 8, 2024, and that she was pronounced dead at the scene. Metro.co.uk and the Mirror both tied the killing to a Westminster Airbnb near Hyde Park, with Metro.co.uk saying the victim was found at the Grade II-listed property in Stanhope Place, Bayswater, at around 8.30am on Monday April 8, 2024 with multiple stab wounds.
The Mirror added that the property she was living in was rented from Airbnb in a £4m mansion a stone's throw from Hyde Park and Marble Arch, while Metro.co.uk said it was a £4 million Airbnb near Hyde Park. While most accounts aligned on April 8, some local reporting framed the stabbing as occurring on April 6, 2024, with Birmingham Live and the Irish News saying the court heard the accused was accused of stabbing her to death at her home in the Bayswater area on April 6, 2024.
Investigation timeline
The investigation began as a missing persons inquiry before officers forced entry and discovered the body, according to the Times of India and the Independent. The Times of India said the case had initially been treated as a medium-risk missing persons inquiry, and it added that the Met previously referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct after it emerged that friends of Thiamphanit had contacted authorities twice the day before her body was found. The Independent likewise said the Met had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct following the murder, after officers were contacted twice by friends of Ms Thiamphanit the day before her body was discovered.
The Independent also reported that neighbours had reported hearing high-pitched screaming coming from the property in Stanhope Place, near Marble Arch and Oxford Street. My London said the extradition followed joint enquiries by the Met and specialist lawyers in the CPS’s extradition and International Units, and it gave a detailed court timeline around the extradition and charging.
The BBC described the case as involving a flight from Dubai to the UK and said Bettamio appeared in court and was remanded into custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 28 April. Across outlets, the court process was consistent in that no plea was entered and Bettamio was remanded, with the BBC, Birmingham Live, and the Irish News all stating that no plea was entered and that he would appear at the Old Bailey on April 28.
Voices in court and beyond
Detective Chief Inspector Alison Foxwell, described by multiple outlets as leading the investigation, emphasized the family’s experience and thanked Angela’s family and friends for their patience. The BBC quoted Foxwell saying, "I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Angela's family and friends for their patience and unwavering support to the investigation," and it added that she said it had been an "incredibly difficult and distressing time" for them. My London carried the same wording from Foxwell, again stating, "I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Angela’s family and friends for their patience and unwavering support to the investigation," and it described the time as "an incredibly difficult and distressing time".
The Times of India also quoted Foxwell acknowledging the family’s patience, calling the period since the incident “incredibly difficult and distressing.” Prosecutor Frances McCormack spoke in court about the charge, and the Mirror and Birmingham Live both quoted her saying, "The defendant is charged with murder."
McCormack also told the court, as quoted by the Mirror, Birmingham Live, the Irish News, and the London Evening Standard, that the defendant was extradited from the UAE to the United Kingdom and that he arrived and was charged yesterday. The Met’s statement, quoted by the BBC and echoed by My London, said, "Angela's family are aware of the update and continue to be supported by specialist officers."
How outlets frame the case
While all outlets describe the extradition from Dubai and the murder charge against Enzo Bettamio, they differ in emphasis, including how they describe the victim’s background and the property where she was found. The Times of India focused on the case’s shock in Westminster and on Thiamphanit’s background, saying she held Chinese-Hong Kong and Thai nationality and had been living in the UK for nearly nine years after moving there for university, and it described her as working in property management. The BBC similarly said Thiamphanit had dual Chinese-Hong Kong and Thai nationality and worked in property management, and it said she had been living in the UK for about nine years after coming over to study at university.
“Ms Thiamphanit, known as Angela, was stabbed to death at a £4 million Airbnb near Hyde Park in April 2024.”
My London and the Independent both described the property as an Airbnb in Stanhope Place, with My London tying it to Marble Arch and the Independent describing it as a Westminster Airbnb. The Mirror and Metro.co.uk went further into property details, with the Mirror saying the property she was living in was rented from Airbnb in a £4m mansion a stone's throw from Hyde Park and Marble Arch, and Metro.co.uk saying it was a £4 million Airbnb near Hyde Park and that the property was Grade II-listed.
Another divergence appears in how the date of the stabbing is framed: the Times of India said the victim was found dead on April 8, 2024, while Birmingham Live and the Irish News said the court heard the accused was accused of stabbing her to death at her home on April 6, 2024. In court reporting, the Mirror, Birmingham Live, the Irish News, and the London Evening Standard all quoted prosecutor Frances McCormack’s account of the charge and the circumstances, including that she was found in Stanhope Place on April 8 2024 with multiple stab wounds.