Briton dies after falling from balcony of flat to escape car thieves in Kenya

A BRITISH man has died after he fell from a balcony following an apparent robbery by car thieves at the home of his girlfriend who is one of Kenya’s top fashion models.

Charlie Grieves-Cook, 37, was fatally injured after he plunged several storeys from Diana Sifuna’s apartment, British expats said.

The photographer had fled to the balcony as armed men stormed into the building looking for the “musungu” [white man] in a bid to steal his vehicle.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Grieves-Cook is understood to have attempted to hide from the intruders by climbing over the balcony and clinging on to its railings.

Unable to find him, the men left the building but before Mr Grieves-Cook could clamber back inside, he lost his grip and plummeted to the ground.

Miss Sifuna, 24, is believed to have taken him to a hospital close to her home in South C, a district in Nairobi’s western suburb of Langata which is known for its lawlessness.

Britons living in Kenya said Mr Grieves-Cook was well-known in the close-knit community and described as a “really nice guy”.

One expat, who asked not to be named, said: “The apartment was in quite a dodgy area. Apparently he had been there when these guys burst into the building and said, ‘We are looking for the musungu’.

“Before they got up to her flat, the two of them, who were inside, panicked and he decided that he would hide by climbing over the balcony so they couldn’t find him.”

Mr Grieves-Cook, reportedly a former chef at several of London’s Michelin-starred restaurants, was taken to the local hospital by his distressed girlfriend.

But medics apparently refused to treat him because the couple had no money on them with which to pay for the care.

“They literally ran out of time and he died of his injuries,” another Briton said.

Related topics: