Former British referee ‘hacked to death with a machete’ in Kenya

A former British football referee has been hacked to death with a machete at his home in Kenya, reports say.

John Middleton, 75 and originally from Norfolk, was discovered in the bath with multiple stab wounds at his residence in the city of Mombasa.

He had been set to play a round of golf on Saturday morning, but alarms were raised when he didn’t show up, his club captain Dinesh Sasan said.

Local reports from Mombasa indicate that the machete which was used to kill the Brit was left at the scene, but nothing was stolen from the property.

Jamleck Mbuba, the deputy county commissioner for the Kisuani constituency, said that a ‘slight struggle’ had occurred but added: ‘The scene was not very disturbed.’

The victim’s body was discovered on Saturday morning when he failed to answer the door to his housekeeper.

In the days leading up to his death, Mr Middleton had told friends that someone had tried to poison his dogs.

Mr Sasan, who had known the victim since 2015, said: ‘I used to be with him three or four times a week.

‘We were all sitting together on Friday evening. He was very polite, he would stick to his principles and was very helpful.

‘I am totally shocked. It is beyond belief.’

Mr Sasan added that Mr Middleton’s home was not in the safest area of southern Kenya.

‘Unfortunately, the area he was in was not a very secure one,’ he said.

The referee’s wife, Regina, was killed during a break-in there in 2018.

John had moved to Kenya in 2014 to be with her and their stepson, Max.

Tributes began to pour in for John via social media. His stepson, Kelvin Gitau, wrote: ‘Words can’t explain my emotions right now.

‘Before he emigrated to Kenya, he was a well-known member of the Norfolk community. But more importantly, he’s been an incredible father to me since I was three years old.

‘My heart is truly broken beyond belief at how cruelly John has been taken from our lives and I’m still trying to process it all.’

Norfolk FA, where John had refereed when living in England, said: ‘John officiated for many years in the county and was a committed and well-liked match official.

‘The thoughts of all at Norfolk FA are with John’s family and friends at this sad time.’

The British High Commission is now involved in the case and a port-mortem examination is scheduled.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.