Aristocrat's farm 'hit by raids'

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A UK aristocrat shot dead a poacher following a spate of armed robberies on his Kenyan estate, a court has heard.

Thomas Cholmondeley, 38, a descendant of white settler Lord Delamere, denies the murder of 37-year-old Robert Njoya.

Ranch manager Koigi Kahugia told the Nairobi trial that the farm's managing director was shot in a hold-up and two other managers were robbed at gunpoint.

Mr Cholmondeley, who faces the death penalty if convicted, says he shot the poacher in self-defence.

'People shot'

Mr Kahugia told the trial at the High Court in the Kenyan capital that security at the Soysambu ranch "had deteriorated very much".

He said: "Not only do we have poachers, we have people targeting other people to shoot and kill. People have been shot and killed on the farm."

Eton-educated Mr Cholmondeley's parents Lord and Lady Delamere have attended each of the hearing's four days so far.

It is the second murder charge divorced father-of-two Mr Cholmondeley has faced.

Last year, he admitted shooting Maasai ranger Samson Ole Sisina but said he acted in self-defence, mistaking the warden for an armed robber.

That case highlighted the security fears of landowners and the resentment of the local Maasai population in the Rift Valley region.

Correspondents say the current case is likely to spark more controversy in the area where resentment still rankles with the Maasai over the dropping of the last case.

The trial was adjourned until 30 October with the prosecution approximately half way through its case.