Kenyan Man Sues UK Police After Spending 10 Years in Prison for a Crime He Didn’t Commit
A Kenyan man, Ali Kololo, has taken legal action against the British police after spending ten years behind bars due to a wrongful conviction. Kololo was sentenced to death after being accused of involvement in an attack on British tourists in Kenya.
The case revolved around the murder of British holidaymaker David Tebbutt and the abduction of his wife, Judith Tebbutt, from a resort near the Kenya-Somalia border.
David was fatally shot, while Judith was kidnapped and taken to Somalia, where she was held captive for six months before being released after a ransom was paid.
Kololo, a resident of Lamu County, was arrested and charged with robbery with violence in connection to the 2011 attack. He was later convicted and handed the death penalty.
However, after spending over a decade in prison, his conviction was overturned in 2023. Now, nearly two years after his release, Kololo is suing the UK’s Metropolitan Police, with his legal team arguing that British authorities misled the Kenyan court by providing flawed evidence, which led to his severe sentencing.
According to The Guardian, internal emails between the UK’s Home Office and Foreign Office have revealed that the Metropolitan Police were allowed to travel to Kenya and assist with the case, despite concerns that their involvement could contribute to a death sentence.
These emails, which surfaced after a public information request, showed that British officials were uneasy about the possibility of Kololo being sentenced to death over robbery with violence charges.
A legal charity representing Kololo has pointed out that UK government policies strictly prohibit any form of assistance that could “directly or significantly contribute” to the death penalty.
The charity insists that British authorities violated these guidelines by participating in a case that ultimately led to Kololo’s harsh sentencing.
Kololo’s lawyers also argue that he endured “inhumane conditions” while in prison for more than ten years.
They have specifically accused former Metropolitan Police detective chief inspector Neil Hibberd, now retired, of withholding crucial information regarding the prosecution’s claim that Kololo’s footprint was found at the crime scene.
During the trial, the prosecution presented an analysis of a footprint that had been partially washed away.
However, Met Police experts had already concluded that the evidence was inconclusive. Additionally, a pair of shoes was brought forward as a match for the footprint, but Kololo reportedly did not fit the shoes. He also maintained that he was barefoot at the time of the alleged crime.
Kololo’s trial was further criticized for being unfair, as he had no legal representation and was forced to defend himself against 20 witnesses, including Hibberd.
His legal team argues that this contributed to a wrongful conviction and an unjust prison sentence.
Preetha Gopalan, head of UK litigation at the legal charity representing Kololo, is now demanding an official apology and compensation from the Metropolitan Police.
She has also raised concerns about whether the UK government continues to provide similar assistance in legal cases worldwide, potentially making them complicit in human rights violations.
“Has the UK government truly learned from past mistakes, or are they still enabling human rights abuses in other countries?” she questioned.
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