On September 18, at the High Court, Judge Daniel Aganyanya...

On September 18, at the High Court, Judge Daniel Aganyanya handed down his decision on Simon Ole Makallah, 49, chief warden of the popular Masai Mara Game Reserve at the time of the crime. He found him not guilty of murdering British tourist Julie Ward, then 28, in 1998. A week after Julie Ward was last seen alive, her lower left leg, severed at the knee and partially burned, was found on a patch of scrub land in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. A few feet away, next to a burned out fire, lay two pieces of jaw bone with teeth intact and a clump of her blonde hair. The 43-day trial began on March 1 and saw 40 witnesses called. Simon Ole Makallah pleaded not guilty and faced the death penalty if convicted. The decision, although not unexpected, was a bitter blow for the victims' father John Ward, who has devoted more than a decade to uncovering the truth of his daughter's final hours. Makallah sat stony-faced as Judge Aganyanya delivered his decision. But he broke into a broad smile after the judge told the court: "I conclude the accused is not guilty of the charges against him." Mr Ward, who was in court to hear the verdict, appeared to shrug his shoulders. The verdict was greeted with joy by several of Makallah's fellow Masai tribesmen.