British aristocrat did not die of drug overdose, says pathologist

A pathologist has dismissed claims that British aristocrat Alexander Monson, who died after being held at a police cell in Diani three years ago, overdosed on drugs.

Kishardchandra Mandaliya yesterday told a judicial inquest into the death at the law courts in Mombasa that the drug concentration which was found in Alexander's urine after laboratory analysis could not have resulted in his death on May 19, 2012.

Mr Monson's family says he was killed by police in the cell or possibly died from some kind of medical negligence and accuse the Diani police of inventing the drug overdose theory to tarnish the late aristocrat's reputation.

Alexander was heir to the Monson baronetcy and his family has demanded justice to find his alleged killers.

"I can tell from these two reports that Alexander Monson did not die from a drug overdose as is being claimed," said Dr Mandaliya who performed an autopsy of Alexander's body before it was cremated.

The prosecution was represented by State lawyer Lilian Fundi.

Mandaliya said as an expert, he did not believe the concentration of drugs found in the samples of Alexander's urine was the cause of his death.

The witness said this yesterday during an inquest into the cause of the death of the British aristocrat before Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate Ricahrd Odenyo.

Mandaliya said according to reports from Pathcare Laboratories in Kenya and South Africa, the level of the concentration of the drug could not have killed him.

He said the analysis result from Kenya's laboratory showed there was a concentration of alcohol and a pain killer drug commonly known as Panadol.

The doctor, defending himself against accusations that he was not a qualified toxicologist, said that his experience as a pathologist would not make him go wrong in any analysis.

He blamed Alexander's family for having not contacted him for the results of the analysis it had sought from him.

 

He said although Dominic Martin took the samples of urine, blood and tissue three days from the day Alexander died, that would not have stopped forensic experts from making a proper analysis of the drug concentration in the deceased's body.

Alexander died on May 19, 2012, at Diani Hospital where he had been rushed by police officers after it is claimed he fell sick while in a cell. Police claimed he was arrested at a night club for smoking marijuana. Mandalyia told the court the analysis of the blood did not show any  marijuana.