Nairobi, Kenya - A British missionary who had spent decades of his life working in Africa was found beaten to death in a pool of his own blood in the church compound where he had lived for nearly ten years on the tropical Kenyan island of Lamu.
Police believe that Brother Brian Thorp, 77, was killed during a robbery at his home on Wednesday night. Br Thorp, who belonged to the Mill Hill Missionaries, had been overseeing the renovation of his church and the construction of several others, and was known to have cash on hand to pay his day labourers.
His housekeeper found Br Thorp on Thursday morning in the church compound where he spent most of his time. He had reportedly been drinking a cup of coffee when the attackers arrived, and was beaten to death with a wooden stick.
“It is possible that he was killed because he might have recognised the robbers,” the Rev Anthony Chantry, Mill Hill Missionaries' general superior, said in a statement. “Br Brian was a gentle, just and conscientious missionary who took his life commitment to serving those most in need, very seriously.”
The British High Commission said that Br Thorp's death was being treated as murder and that it had offered the Lamu police consular assistance for the investigation.
Those who knew him described Br Thorp as a reserved and respected man who enjoyed going for long swims along the coast of Lamu, a popular tourist destination. He kept a low profile in what is a predominantly Muslim island, but locals said that he was not known to have any enemies.
"Father Brian was not a Bible thumper — he was a very humble, gentle man,” said Hadija Ernst, Editor of Lamu Chonjo magazine.
Ms Ernst, a Muslim, said that in 1998 Br Thorp had given her money to help to pay for foot surgery for her newborn son. “He helped people regardless of their religion, and that's why it's such a shock, especially because it was so violent,” she said.
The missionary was the fourth of five sons, born in Bamford, Derbyshire. He became an apprentice carpenter, served two years as an orderly in the RAF then, after his younger brother died, joined the Church. He worked in Congo, Uganda and elsewhere in Kenya before moving to Lamu in 1999.
He is to be buried in the British Cemetery near the Lamu town of Shela after a funeral service on Thursday.