(Mombasa) A Kenyan court on Monday sentenced four police officers to prison for manslaughter following the death of a young British aristocrat whose family has been fighting for justice for nine years.
Alexander Monson, accused of smoking cannabis outside a bar, was found dead in May 2012 in a police cell in the seaside town of Diani, in southern Kenya.
“Tortured” and beaten to death
For his family, the 28-year-old Briton was beaten to death in his cell, while the police claimed that he had died of an overdose, a thesis rejected by the courts.
On Monday, the Mombasa High Court found the four officers guilty of manslaughter and sentenced them to terms ranging from nine to fifteen years in prison.
“The court established that he had been tortured in the police station before being brought back to his cell around 5 am,” Judge Eric Ogola said at the verdict.
According to Mr. Ogola, the police did not take the young man to hospital on time despite his very poor condition.
This high-profile case raised the issue of frequent police brutality in this East African country.