Kenyan police accused of covering up aristocrat son's death

Alexander Monson moved to Kenya in 2008 to live with his mother

Kenyan police covered up the death of a British lord's son three years ago, an inquest into his death has heard.

Yusuf Abubakar, representing the family of Alexander Monson, told the court in Mombasa police had tampered with witness statements.

The accusations were made during Sgt Naftali Chege's testimony, on the second day of the re-opened inquest.

Mr Monson, 28, heir to his family's estate in Burton, Lincolnshire, died in police custody in Mombasa, in 2012.

He had been arrested and detained near an entertainment resort in the Kenyan coastal town of Diani.

Kenyan police said Mr Monson died of a drug overdose but an independent pathologist, hired by the family, found he died from a fatal blow to the back of his head.

Yusuf Abubakar (right) questioned why there were two versions of Naftali Chege's (left) statement

Mr Abubakar told the court it was unfair for police to supply the inquest with two sets of statements from Sgt Chege.

He said part of Sgt Chege's original statement had been omitted from the version presented to the court.

"Why were we supplied with a different statement?" he said.

"What was intended? What happened? Was it an oversight or is it deliberate?"

Naftali Chege is one of at least four police officers expected to be cross-examined at Mombasa's law courts.

Alexander Monson was the son of Nicholas, the 12th Baron Monson and had moved to Kenya to live with his mother seven years ago.

The inquest continues.