An innocent Kenyan wood cutter who spent 11 years in jail is suing the Metropolitan Police for their role in a wrongful conviction that cost him over a decade in Kenyan prisons.
Ali Kololo was wrongfully convicted of assisting the gang that attacked two British tourists in Kenya in 2011 and sentenced to death after a senior Met officer Detective Chief Inspector Neil Hibberd omitted key evidence at his trial, reports The Sunday Times.
“No one thought I’d ever come home,” Ali said. “Even my neighbours are shocked when they see me. They ask, ‘you’re still alive? Is it you Ali?’ My time in prison was like being in a torture chamber. I was kept there, not knowing when I would be called for execution.”
Head of UK litigation at Reprieve Preetha Gopalan, said: “The Met has never taken responsibility for the severe harm it caused Ali Kololo and his family. It has never said sorry. Through this legal claim, Ali seeks the redress the Met should have granted him long ago, so that he can get on with rebuilding his life.”