Court holds private session in murdered lawyer’s case to protect witnesses
The case against four police officers and an informer accused of killing human rights lawyer Willy Kimani, his client and taxi driver was heard in camera on Friday to “protect the identity of some witnesses.”
Trial judge Lady Justice Ruth Sitati ordered journalists, court orderlies, relatives of the five suspects and the public to leave the courtroom to enable “witnesses under the witness protection agency to adduce their evidence.”
Only the accused, the court clerk, defence lawyer Cliff Ombeta, Law Society of Kenya representative Albert Sihanya and the victims’ lawyer Fred Ojiambo were left in the courtroom at Milimani Law Courts.
Earlier, Justice Sitati had ordered journalists and the public to not use their smart phones to take photographs of a witness or the accused.
A witness said that on June 23, he saw Senior Sergeant Fredrick Leliman, Sergeant Leonard Mwangi Maina and police informer Peter Ngugi Kamau at the Mavoko Law Courts.
“Sgt Leliman used his car to block the road, making it difficult for the deceased to drive on,” he said. “Mr Kamau spilled the beans how the victims were killed,” said a prosecutor.
The hearing continues next week.