Father of Suffolk woman killed in Kenya dies after 35-year fight for justice

• Rob Setchell reports for ITV News Anglia on a father's decades-long fight for justice

The brother of a woman who was brutally murdered in Kenya 35 years ago has vowed to continue the search for the truth, after their father died without seeing justice.

Julie Ward, from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, was 28 when she went missing and died during a trip to the Masai Mara game reserve in 1988.

Julie's father John Ward, having flown out to search for her, made the grim discovery of her burned remains at the reserve. She had been raped, killed, dismembered and burned.

In the years that followed, Mr Ward spent more than £2m to uncover his daughter's killer, and visited the country more than 200 times.

Mr Ward was a well-known hotelier in Bury St Edmunds and died last week, with his son Bob Ward paying tribute to his "driven, tenacious and brave" father on Tuesday.

Mr Ward died two weeks after his wife Jan, with the couple also born two weeks apart.

Mr Ward maintained until his death that her murder was "covered up" by the Kenyan authorities to protect high-ranking officials.

He also accused the UK government of helping with the "cover-up".

Mr Ward's prime suspect in the investigation died in 2020.

Speaking after his father's death, Bob Ward admitted that as a result of the suspect's death, his family may never get a conviction for Ms Ward's murder.

"In terms of getting somebody into trial, the answer is almost certainly no," he said.

"But to highlight what’s happened over the last 35 years with the people who have tried to hide that, I think there’s still a very good chance of getting justice."

Bob Ward said that after completing a "six-year mentorship" with his father, he would continue his legacy in seeking the truth of the alleged cover up.

When Ms Ward missed her flight home from Kenya, her father immediately flew out to find out what had happened.

Bob Ward said: "Dad knew something was wrong and knew what was going on right away, even with the shock of finding her in the state she was in.

"He was extraordinary. We wouldn’t know Julie was dead if it wasn’t for Dad’s tenacity, so I’ll always be grateful for that."

Kenyan officials initially accepted that 28-year-old Ms Ward was murdered, but U-turned to tell the media that she was eaten by animals or took her own life.

An initial inquest which said she was "clean cut" was altered to say she was torn apart to support the revised version of events.

In 2004, an inquest in Suffolk recorded a verdict that Ms Ward died from unlawful killing, clearing claims her death was an accident.

A number of men went on trial for the Suffolk woman's murder, but no one was ever convicted.

In 1992, two park rangers went on trial for Ms Ward's murder but were cleared for lack of evidence, with the head warden standing trial in 1999, but also acquitted.

John Ward did not give up on his 35-year fight for justice for his daughter's death, but died at the age of 89.

Bob Ward confirmed that he was looking to get a second book by his father published, as well as holding talks over a potential documentary and drama about the investigation into his sister's murder.

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