Kenyan task force to probe death of aristocrat's son over claims of a police cover-up

Kenyan police last night agreed to set up a task force to investigate the death of British aristocrat’s son Alexander Monson after protests from his family and allegations of a cover-up.
Alexander, 28, died in mysterious circumstances after spending nine hours in a police cell following his arrest for smoking cannabis outside a bar near his mother’s home in the coastal resort of Diani, south of Mombasa.
Yesterday, his friends gathered for a memorial service in the family garden overlooking a beach at the edge of  the Indian Ocean.

Mysterious demise: Alexander Monson, who died after being arrested for smoking cannabis in Kenya, with his mother Hilary Martin and sister Isabella

His father Nicholas, the 12th Baron of Monson, in his eulogy described Alexander as ‘a brilliant comet that blazed through the skies for 28 years’.
His family believes his life could have been saved if police had called for medical help when he collapsed last Saturday morning.

 

Instead they allegedly took him to hospital and handcuffed him unconscious to a bed, telling doctors to treat him for a drugs overdose.
His family, headed by Alexander’s father, has instructed lawyers to  carry out an independent inquiry  with a view to taking action against the police.

Cover-up claims: Alexander's father, Nicolas, pictured with his ex-wife Hilary, has instructed lawyers to conduct an independent inquiry with a view to taking action against the police

A post-mortem examination carried out last week showed Alexander died from the result of ‘blunt force trauma’ – a blow to the head that led to swelling of the brain.
His left hand was heavily bruised, leading pathologists to believe he may have been trying to defend himself, and there was bruising to his groin that suggests he had been kicked.
Lord Monson, who travelled to Mombasa for his son’s funeral, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Whatever happened in that police station need not have led to Alexander’s death. It is clear he was attacked and we want this properly investigated.
‘His death is a terrible tragedy and a waste. However painful it is for us at this time, we are determined to find the truth and bring those responsible to justice.’
Last night, the head of Mombasa’s Provincial Criminal Investigation Office, Ambrose Munyasia, said: ‘I am appointing senior officers to a special task force which will hold a thorough inquiry. A person has died in the arms of the police and we must investigate his death.’
A family spokesman said: ‘Everything points to an attack followed by  a cover-up.’