Four Kenyan policemen jailed for killing British aristocrat

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MOMBASA (Reuters) – Kenya’s High Court on Monday ruled against four policemen for the premeditated murder of Alexander Monson, the son of a British aristocrat who was found dead in a police cell in the beach town of Diani in 2012.

Judge Eric Ogola handed down the verdicts in the coastal city of Mombasa at the end of a high-profile case that highlighted police brutality in the East African country.

“This should send a strong message to the Kenyan police forces to respect human life,” the victim’s mother, Hilary Monson, told the court, fighting back tears.

The four policemen are Naftali Cheg, Charles Wangombe Monnieri, Baraka Boluma and John Bamba. They all hung their heads after the verdict was announced, while one of them cried softly.

Chigi was sentenced to 15 years in prison, five of which have been suspended. Mouniri was sentenced to 12 years in prison, six of which have been suspended. Puloma was sentenced to nine years, five of which were suspended, and Bamba was sentenced to 12 years, six of which were suspended.

“I feel like after waiting 10 years, the sentencing of the two defendants is not enough for a mother who lost her child in such a brutal way,” Monson’s mother told reporters after the verdict.

Monson, 28, was found dead after being arrested for what police said was smoking cannabis during a night in Diani, near Mombasa on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast.

“Drugs were planted on the deceased after his death as a cover,” Ojula said, adding that Monson was in good health before arriving at the station and that he was “brutally tortured” while there.

“I am convinced that the death of the deceased was caused by an unlawful negligence on the part of the accused for their failure to seek timely medical attention for the deceased,” Ogula said.

Monson was the son of Nicholas, 12th Baron Monson, and heir to a family estate in Lincolnshire in eastern England. The elder Monson was also in the courtroom and slowly nodded as the verdicts were announced.

“I think the sentence could have been stronger, but I know the suspects are obviously going to face some punishment in prison,” he said.

Two reports by government specialists, seen by Reuters at the time, concluded that Monson died after suffering a blow to the head. An investigation revealed attempts to cover up the incident and threats against witnesses.

Kenyan police face frequent accusations of brutality and extrajudicial killing from civilians and rights groups, but the officers are rarely charged and never convicted.

The Independent Police Oversight Authority was established in 2011 to investigate police misconduct and has received millions of dollars in foreign funding.

Kenyans have filed thousands of complaints against the police since its inception, but the organization has issued only 13 convictions against the officers.

(Covering) Written by Joseph Akwery, writing by Aynat Mercy, Editing by William MacLean and Nick McPhee / Mark Heinrich

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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