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February 9, 2026 \u2014 6:13pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n The devastated families of two Australian teenagers who died of methanol poisoning in Laos have condemned a secret court case that led to 10 people being handed $185 fines, describing the outcome as a betrayal and beyond comprehension.<\/p>\n The Melbourne parents have also accused the Australian government of failing their families, saying they feel abandoned by Canberra after learning about the court case and its outcome from British authorities.<\/p>\n Melbourne teenagers Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, were among several foreign tourists who died after unknowingly drinking alcohol contaminated with lethal methanol<\/a> in the tourist hub of Vang Vieng in November 2024.<\/p>\n The pair fell ill at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, which authorities believe was the source of a mass poisoning that killed six, including travellers from the UK, the US and Denmark.<\/p>\n On January 29, 10 people were convicted in a Laotian court over destruction of evidence and handed suspended sentences along with fines equal to $185 \u2013 penalties that Morton-Bowles\u2019 and Jones\u2019 parents, Samantha Morton and Shaun Bowles and Mark and Michelle Jones, described as \u201cextraordinarily weak\u201d and an \u201cinsult\u201d. The details of the suspended sentences are not known.<\/p>\n Mark Jones said the families were blindsided and the legal outcome had made \u201can unbearable grief even worse\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were shocked by the absolute injustice for our girls and the others,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have had no correspondence with anyone from the Laos government. We had no idea the court case was going ahead. Our beautiful girls, and the other victims, deserve justice at a bare minimum, and a $185 fine is hardly justice.\u201d<\/p>\n The grieving parents say they were never formally told about the January 29 court case by Australian authorities, instead being contacted by Sue White, the mother of British victim Simone White, whose government had received details of the proceedings.<\/p>\n No one has been charged over the teenagers\u2019 deaths. After a 20-day appeal period, the 10 people charged with evidence-related offences could be free to leave Laos.<\/p>\n Jones said the status of a separate case linked to a local distillery remained unclear.<\/p>\n He said he understood Laotian authorities could be difficult to deal with diplomatically, but questioned why other governments appeared to receive updates on the case before Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Danish and UK governments are getting information and our government just seems to be quite reactive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur government doesn\u2019t seem to be able to get information. We feel abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n The families of the six victims have described the close yet tragic bond they have, speaking every three weeks to share information as they continue the search for answers.<\/p>\n Jones said the last update he had received from Australian officials was in late January when he was told Australia\u2019s ambassador to Laos, Megan Jones, was meeting with local officials to clarify information shared by the Danish government.<\/p>\n Morton-Bowles\u2019 father said the modest fines were an insult to his daughter\u2019s life and he wanted justice for her and her best friend, Bianca Jones.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was incredibly disappointing but at the same time not surprising considering the way the Laos government has treated us over the past 14 months,\u201d Shaun Bowles said. \u201cThey seem to just want to have it done and show that people have been held accountable and be done with it. But that\u2019s not justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Bowles said the evidence-tampering conviction should lead investigators further.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I struggle to see from here how we will get the justice our girls deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n As well as accountability in Laos, both fathers called for stronger action from the Australian government, including an immediate diplomatic intervention from Canberra to pressure authorities to provide a formal explanation of the investigation and court proceedings.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are the Danish and English governments getting to talk to these people, and we are not getting information from our government?\u201d Bowles said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel let down by our own government. They have failed our families. They have not been able to get basic answers, they have not applied meaningful pressure, and they have allowed our daughters\u2019 deaths to be quietly brushed aside.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cWe are out of options. We have done as much as we can; the only people that can do any more for us are our government.\u201d<\/p>\n Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones both would have turned 21 this year \u2013 birthdays their families will mark without them.<\/p>\n Mark Jones said he wants people to remember the pair as \u201cbeautiful, funny, intelligent and engaging young women\u201d, rather than the circumstances of their deaths.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are never going to see them graduate from university, get married or have babies, if that\u2019s what they wanted to do,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want people to smile when they remember them.\u201d<\/p>\n Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Morton-Bowles\u2019 and Bianca Jones\u2019 families had endured an unimaginable loss and the Australian government was doing everything to support them in their pursuit of justice.<\/p>\n \u201cI have made it clear to my Lao counterpart that Australia expects full accountability,\u201d Wong said.<\/p>\n \u201cI have also made it clear that charges should reflect the seriousness of the tragedy which left six people dead including Holly and Bianca.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to press Lao authorities on the cases relating to Holly and Bianca\u2019s deaths, and we will continue to support Holly and Bianca\u2019s families at this distressing time.\u201d<\/p>\n Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Senator Michaelia Cash called on the Albanese government to immediately explain why it did not keep the families informed about the case.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a disgrace that Holly and Bianca\u2019s families found out about the outcome of a case in relation to their daughters\u2019 deaths through information from a foreign government,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThese sentences appear to be manifestly inadequate.\u201d<\/p>\n The Laotian embassy in Canberra has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/eb2bde775362ce7c022362021eefca5c2f8e5a31.jpeg\")
Mark Jones (left) and Shaun Bowles, the fathers of Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, who died after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos, say they feel \u201cutterly betrayed\u201d.Jason South<\/p>\n![\"Holly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bafa0596404763547a5834fba0d230cad645f283.jpeg\")
Holly Morton-Bowles (left) and Bianca Jones died after a mass drink poisoning in Laos.<\/p>\n![\"Foreign](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/f05f7269eafc0136fc60e18dae6f6ff847b537b7.jpeg\")
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