Driver who 'intentionally rammed motorbike ferrying wife' to face murder charge
Jecinter Njoki who died in a 2018 accident on the Thalathameli-Kaoyeni road in Ganda, Kilifi County.
Police have rearrested a British businessman for the suspected murder of his wife in a 2018 road accident on the Thalathameli-Kaoyeni road in Ganda, Kilifi County.
This follows a directive from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to take over the file and have the suspect, Mr Simon Harold Shiels, charged with the murder of Jecinter Njoki.
Kilifi County Criminal Investigation Officer Noah Katumo said the police arrested Mr Shiels last Sunday.
The suspect is to be charged with murder at the Malindi High Court on Wednesday.
“The DPP asked the Traffic department to withdraw the case it had filed against the accused to have the police pursue it criminally. So we launched our investigations, and the evidence amounts to murder,” Mr Katumo said.
Mr Katumo said the businessman, who owns UK Club in Malindi, was summoned to the police station before being arrested.
He said witnesses recorded their statements again and fresh investigations show Mr Shiels “has a case to answer”.
The daughter and son of Ms Njoki also recorded their statements.
Mr Alex Kahindi, the bodaboda rider who was carrying Ms Njoki as a pillion passenger when the accident happened, also submitted his statement to investigators, Mr Katumo said.
The traffic police withdrew the case two weeks ago. Mr Shiels faced charges of causing deaths by dangerous driving.
According to a police report, on January 22, 2018, Mr Shiels was driving his Mitsubishi pickup when the crash occurred.
Before the incident, he had gone to the couple’s farm in Kaoyeni village and was later joined by his wife, who arrived on a motorbike. The two disagreed on an unknown matter.
Ms Njoki then left on the same motorbike.
Mr Shiels pursued them with his vehicle and this prompted the rider to branch off onto a nearby footpath.
He kept following them and ran over them after they landed in a ditch.
Ms Njoki was pronounced dead on arrival at Tawfiq Hospital in Malindi.
A postmortem exam on her body revealed that she succumbed to hemorrhage shock with head injuries.
Additional reporting by Alex Kalama
