Two senior policemen have paid tribute to the "incredible" father of murdered British tourist Julie Ward.Miss Ward, 28, who lived near Bury St Edmunds, was killed while travelling alone in the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya in September 1988.

Two senior policemen have paid tribute to the "incredible" father of murdered British tourist Julie Ward.

Miss Ward, 28, who lived near Bury St Edmunds, was killed while travelling alone in the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya in September 1988.

Her father, John, 70, a hotelier from Brockley Green, near Bury St Edmunds, has mounted a 16-year crusade to get justice for his daughter.

He has personally collected evidence and organised forensic and post-mortem tests and spent hundreds of thousands of pounds making repeated trips to Kenya in his quest to uncover fresh clues.

The Kenyan government under the then president Daniel arap Moi claimed that Miss Ward had either been eaten by animals, struck by lightening or had committed suicide.

But evidence gathered by her father showed that her body had been dismembered with a sharp heavy instrument then scattered around the African bush.

Mr Ward complained that the Foreign Office and Metropolitan Police, who travelled to Kenya to investigate on a number of occasions colluded with the Moi regime to prevent his daughter's killers being found.

As a result the Police Complains Authority asked Lincolnshire Police to mount a review of the evidence and on Friday Detective Chief Superintendent Terry Hackett told an inquest into Miss Ward's death in Ipswich, Suffolk, that fresh evidence had been found and he was confident that justice would finally be done.

Mr Hackett said Mr Ward had been the key figure in the entire process.

"He is absolutely incredible," said Mr Hackett.

"He gathered key forensic evidence at an early stage which otherwise would have been lost.

"And without his determined continuous crusade to see justice done we would not be where we are today. I cannot speak highly enough of him."

John Stoddart, Deputy Chief Constable of Durham, who is in overall command of the review of the case, added: "John Ward is a remarkable man. And he would make a brilliant detective."

The inquest into Miss Ward's death began on Monday last week and is due to resume and conclude tomorrow .