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arrived, in handcuffs and wearing only purple shorts, at Palm Beach hospital.
His bank card and phone, which had been taken by Pamba and supposedly locked in a strongbox, were missing.
mrs monson had been staying in Nairobi the previous night. She arrived in mombasa in time to hold her son’s hand – still in cuffs – but efforts to revive him failed. Within an hour of her arrival, at about 5am, he was pronounced dead.
the judge outlined – then dismissed – several possible reasons for his death put forward by defence lawyers.
Alexander might have suffered head wounds at the bar before his arrest, they suggested. He could also have been injured in a drug-induced fall. Chege’s lawyer even ventured that he might have been dropped on his way to hospital.
In a report submitted to the trial, eminent British forensic physician Jason Payne-James, who studied the medical evidence, police logbook, witness statements and other key evidence, concluded that Alexander’s injuries could only have been caused by a violent assault.
the ‘only rational explanation’, the judge ruled, was that between 3am and 5am ‘torture took place outside the cell and the deceased tried to defend himself’.
JuStICe Ogola added that the ‘accused persons were persons known to this court’ but because of the ‘wall of silence’ he had been unable to ascertain exactly who was responsible. After the verdict, lawyers for the officers pleaded for clemency, pointing out that they had to support wives and families – who were looking on from the public gallery. But the judge said he must set sentences that proved Kenya was serious in its declared intention to tackle police brutality.
Chege was given 15 years, five suspended, munyuri 12 years (six suspended), Baraka nine (five suspended) and Pamba 12 (six suspended).
they are expected to serve their time in one of the world’s most notorious prisons, Kamiti in Nairobi, where 4,000 inmates – double the intended capacity – languish in insanitary 10ft by 10ft cells, and are put to work for a fraction of a penny a day. A recently released prisoner described it as a living hell where new inmates are ‘auctioned off’ as slaves.
Before rising, the judge commended Lord and Hilary monson for their long campaign and thanked them for ‘bearing with our justice system’ for nine years. ‘You have come from a long way and I hope you have found justice for Alexander,’ he said.
Last night, the parents of this affable young englishman, who did indeed have ‘the world in his pocket’, had different opinions on that.