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BBC worker was murdered in Ibis hotel by intruder who fell to his death, coroner says

A BBC charity worker was murdered in her Kenyan hotel room by an intruder who then fell to his death from the eighth floor, an inquest has heard.

Kate Mitchell, 42, originally from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, was found with a head injury and signs of strangulation in her room at the Ibis hotel in Nairobi in November 2021, Newcastle Coroner’s Court was told.

Ms Mitchell, who was based in London, worked for BBC Media Action as a project manager in Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Zambia.

The charity, which was previously known as the BBC World Service Trust, focuses on international development and the promotion of democratic reporting.

Having reluctantly departed Addis Ababa due to the civil war in Ethiopia, she had been redeployed to the Kenyan capital as a safer alternative.

The inquest heard that an intruder had entered her eighth floor hotel room and attacked her.

“That man either fell or jumped from the eighth floor bedroom window and he also was found deceased,” Coroner Karin Welsh said.

“That’s the totality of the information we have been able to glean from Nairobi.”

A post-mortem examination when Ms Mitchell’s body was returned to the UK found that she died from a head injury and pressure on the neck.

Ms Welsh concluded that she was unlawfully killed.

The coroner told Pete Mitchell, her brother: “I know you still have questions, I hope they are answered for you.”

After the hearing, Mr Mitchell told reporters that his family was pushing the Kenyan police to reveal more.

They have instructed a lawyer to push for an inquest in Nairobi which could explain more about the circumstances of her murder.

He said: “The Kenyan police have just stonewalled any inquiries. They have refused to do anything about it.”

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