OB shows British aristocrat was well on arrest

An Occurrence Book (OB) at a police station indicates that British aristocrat Alexander Monson was normal when he was arrested, a court heard.

Mr Dominic Martin, an uncle of Mr Monson, told the court that he went to Diani Police Station and looked at the OB, which indicated that his nephew appeared normal upon arrest.

The witness wondered how Mr Monson could have died from drug overdose as alleged, yet the OB said he appeared normal.

Mr Martin was testifying before Justice Eric Ogola in a case in which three police officers and their retired colleague have been charged with the murder of Mr Monson, son of Lord Nicholas Monson.

He further told the court that he received a call from the British Council where he confirmed to them that his nephew had died.

Mr Martin, a web developer based in Nairobi told the court that he also went to Palm Beach Hospital, where his nephew had been taken for medical attention, to inquire if there was any case of medical negligence.

Another witness, Mr Andrew Simiyu, told the court that on May 18 2012, he was at work in a restaurant where Mr Monson visited him around 5pm.

After a while they went to Mr Monson’s residence and then back to the restaurant where other friends joined them before going to Tandoori entertainment joint. They stayed there for almost one-and-a-half hours during which time Mr Monson was moving in and out, Mr Simiyu told the court.

“At some point after playing pool, I started feeling the need to leave because I was working in the morning,” he said.

The witness further told the court that he went outside the restaurant where he saw Mr Monson inside his vehicle talking on phone. He told him he wanted to leave.

Mr Simiyu said he went back to the restaurant where he bid farewell to his other friends before he went back to Monson’s vehicle.

“When I went back to the car, he was not done with the phone. A few minutes later, I heard a heated argument between Monson and a police officer,” Mr Simiyu said.

The witness said that they were later taken to Diani Police Station and he was released a few hours later. Mr Simiyu said he was shocked to later learn that Mr Monson had died.

Mr John Pamba, Mr Naftali Chege, Mr Charles Wang’ombe Munyiri (Rtd) and Mr Ishmael Baraka Bulima have denied murdering Mr Monson.

According to the charge sheet, the accused jointly with others not before the court, murdered Mr Monson on May 19, 2012 in Diani location, Kwale County.