THE mother of a young Welsh backpacker killed in northern Thailand five years ago last night said the sentencing of two men for the murder of Katherine Horton would give her family "some relief". Kirsty Jones, of Brecon, mid Wales, was just 23 when she was raped and strangled while staying at a guest house in Chiang Mai in 2000. No one has yet been brought to justice. Miss Jones's mum Susan said that the sentencing of Miss Horton's killers would: "probably bring the family relief as far as knowing that the police have got the men involved. "But it will never bring Katherine or Kirsty back." Mrs Jones said she hoped the lessons learned in the investigation of Kirsty's death helped speed the process of catching Miss Horton's killers who were sentenced to death yesterday. "Kirsty's case was five years ago and things have changed since then. "No-one knew back then how the Thais did things. If it has helped push Miss Horton's case along then that is something at least. "It is very sad that it takes something like that for things to improve." Miss Jones's family still hope the Liverpool University student's killer will eventually be caught. | 
