Family cries foul over Monson death probe

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Sunday
July 8,  2012

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According to a post-mortem report, Alexander Monson, 28, died from a blunt trauma force on his head, which caused high pressure resulting to a heart attack. Photo/FILE 

By PAUL REDFERN, Nation correspondent in London
Posted  Sunday, July 8  2012 at  15:14

Family members of a British aristocrat Alexander Monson say they fear they will never get justice in Kenya.

Alexander, the son of a British aristocrat who is a member of House of Lords in London, died of a blood clot in his brain while in police custody in Diani.

His story has began to hit headlines in the UK, the same way that Julie Ward's death did nearly 24 years ago.

Mr Monson’s 25-year-old sister Isabella, who has been leading the campaign for justice for her brother, pointed out that since his death two months ago, no arrests have been made, no public inquiry opened and no report published into the 28-year-old’s death.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said despite the evidence that Mr Monson’s injuries were inflicted while in police custody, no officers on duty that night have been suspended or any action taken against them.

“We are hoping that there are no attempted cover-ups because actually the evidence is all quite straightforward,” Isabella Monson, told the Sunday Telegraph.

“It’s quite easy to make a timeline in your head where there’s very little confusion in terms of what happened.

“In police custody, he sustained blunt force trauma to the head, which he died from. Any which way you look at it, police are culpable in some way.

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“Knowing which police officers were there that night, and having other witnesses, it should not be that difficult to find out what happened and it really shouldn’t even have taken this long.”

The Sunday Telegraph also says it understands the investigation into Mr Monson’s death has been completed and handed to Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko, who will make the final decision on whether to open a court case.

Pathology reports by both government doctors and independent experts hired by the family show that he died from a blood clot caused by a haemorrhage in his brain, brought on by a blow to the skull.

The newspaper report says it has further evidence that Mr Monson had tried to defend himself from punches and kicks.

Lord Nicholas Monson, 57, who met the late former Internal Security minister George Saitoti over the case, said he agreed that the inquiry into his son’s death was taking too long.

“It appears to have stalled, and we have no idea why because from everyone’s perspective, it’s something very simple,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.

“I’m not going to say that there’s any funny business going on with the investigation, and I’m not going to say that they’re trying to cover anything up.

“But it does not make sense to me that they have not made any arrests…If the police are allowed to get away with this, they’ll realise they can get away with anything.”

The Sunday Telegraph says it has seen a copy of the entry in the “Occurrence Book” from Diani Police Station the night that Mr Monson was arrested.

Five police officers are named for the entry on the day when Mr Monson was arrested: An inspector, a corporal and three constables, and all have been questioned as part of the police investigation into how Mr Monson died, although none has been suspended from duty.
Police Spokesman Eric Kiraithe, according to the Sunday Telegraph, said that the matter was being handled “as a priority” but added that it would take time before “appropriate action” is taken.
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