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Tragedy of Chatham man washed up on beach remains unsolved

Margate faces issues similar to inner cities
Margate faces issues similar to inner cities

Mystery continues to surround the death of a homeless man from Chatham, whose body washed up on a Kent beach two years ago.

Kenyan-born Simon Kibe, 40, was found dead on rocks near the harbour arm in Margate on September 28, 2011 by a group of friends walking their dog.

An inquest heard Mr Kibe was last seen alive five days earlier, when he was released from custody in Medway.

The former barber had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly the previous day.

Pathologist Dr Matteus Kislovski said a post-mortem examination revealed Mr Kibe had drowned.

He also said toxicology results showed he had high enough levels of alcohol in his system to lead to a coma.

The case took nearly two years to be heard due to problems identifying Mr Kibe and tracking down relatives.

He was eventually identified because he had a missing finger on his right hand.

Giving evidence at the inquest, Det Sgt Mark Dennis said police had visited Mr Kibe's last known address, but no one had heard of him there.

He also said Mr Kibe had friends in Margate, but when interviewed by officers, they said they had not seen him in the days before his body was found.

Concluding that Mr Kibe's death was an accident, coroner Rebecca Cobb, sitting at Canterbury Magistrates' Court, said: "There was no evidence of how he came to be in the sea, but there were no marks on his body to indicate involvement of a third party."

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