Ex-British Army officer killed by machete gang

Lieutenant Colonel David Parkinson, 58, was killed with a machete when an armed gang, also carrying a gun, broke into his house in the early hours of Sunday morning, Kenya’s national newspaper, the Daily Nation reported.

His wife, Sonja, managed to flee the attack and lock herself in a storeroom until the gang had left, only to return and find her husband dead, the newspaper said.

Police reportedly said the armed robbers stole a laptop, phone and some ornaments.

The couple, originally from Hurstpierpoint, near Hassocks, West Sussex, were targeted at their Lolldaiga Hills cattle ranch in the town of Nanyuki in Laikipia county in central Kenya.

Marius Tum, Laikipia east police commander, said detectives investigating the murder were pursuing important leads that could lead to the arrest of more suspects. He told the Daily Nation that one suspect had been arrested in a nearby village on Sunday morning and was still in police custody.

The family spent Monday waiting for the arrival of the couple’s daughters to witness the post-mortem examination, it was reported.

Before moving to the ranch, Lt Col Parkinson, who received an OBE in 1998, served with the Parachute Regiment for 30 years, from 1973 to 2003, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He spent five years as deputy director at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a nearby game reserve.