Father vindicated as 20 years of 'lies' over woman's murder in Africa are exposed

Published on Sunday 7 September 2008 22:20

AN INDEPENDENT police report into the death of a British tourist in Kenya 20 years ago accused UK authorities of "inconsistency, falsehoods and downright lies", it was revealed yesterday.

Julie Ward, 28, from Brockley, Suffolk, was murdered in the Masai Mara game reserve in September 1988 while on safari.

Her father, John Ward, has travelled to Kenya more than 100 times trying to find his daughter's killers.

He suspected UK authorities of trying to block his inquiries to maintain a good relationship with the Kenyan government, who were themselves suspected of trying to protect their expanding tourism industry.

The 74-year-old retired hotelier, from Bury St Edmunds, recently used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain an independent report, written by Jon Stoddart, on behalf of Lincolnshire Police in 2004.

The report is understood to be highly critical of the Foreign Office, the British High Commission and Scotland Yard.

It reportedly said of the role of the FCO and the British High Commission: "There is clear evidence of inconsistency and contradictions, falsehoods and downright lies, and it is this that has, not surprisingly, led to John Ward believing that there was an active conspiracy to prevent him from identifying his daughter's killers."

It is believed to have accused the Kenyan police, who initially insisted Miss Ward committed suicide or was killed by wild animals, of "brazen, deceitful and dishonest behaviour".

And it said this, coupled with "the contradictions, untruths and evasive behaviour from a member of the British High Commission (political section)", led Mr Ward to a belief that the authorities "had conspired deliberately to prevent Julie's murderer(s) from being brought to justice".

Mr Ward said: "I felt totally vindicated. Everything I have said all along about the widespread extent of the cover-up and deceit was proved to be true."

The report was also highly critical of two Scotland Yard officers whose initial inquiry led to two park rangers standing trial for murder. The accused were acquitted in a Nairobi trial in 1992. In his report, Mr Stoddart, now Chief Constable of Durham Police, said the two officers had "undertaken what is at best a poor investigation, at worst hopelessly flawed".

The report said the inquiry was "inadequately resourced, completed with unseemly haste and superficial".

But it said they operated in a "different, hostile environment and, as a result, were seemingly unable to distinguish key witnesses from suspects".

WHAT NEXT?

JOHN Ward has high hopes that a new Scotland Yard investigation could be launched into his daughter's death under the leadership of John Yates, the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Using DNA techniques, police have been able to analyse material found at the scene of the crime which, they said, provided "potential new opportunities of inquiry".

Speaking yesterday, after another trip to the east African country, Mr Ward said the Foreign Office was originally "falling over backwards" to appease the Kenyan president of the time, Daniel arap Moi.

"What they did in the past was wrong. It was an attempt to pervert the cause of justice."

He added: "A murder remains unsolved – a brutal murder. But the Stoddart report said this crime is imminently solvable and I believe it is."

Asked about the Stoddart inquiry, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Met is still engaged in investigating Julie Ward's murder and we are working closely with her father."