Holiday couple forced to flee machete gang

MACHETE-WIELDING robbers  threatened an couple celebrating their silver wedding anniversary in Kenya.

David and Christine Smith, of  Caroline Close, Exmouth, abandoned their three-week luxury  break at the Cove Retreat resort,  close to Mombasa, after the incident.

They were attacked by four  men who broke into their  tree-top accommodation in the  early hours armed with machetes and crowbars.

The pair were pinned naked  against a wall after being forced  out of bed.

Mr Smith said: “My wife  came back from the toilet after  midnight and we were just drifting back off to sleep when I saw  a torch coming up the stairs.

“I shouted thinking it was security then I saw four torches in  total and turned to Chris and  said we were in trouble, especially after something we had  been told by a woman who lives  opposite the hotel.”

Mr Smith, a 45-year-old safety  manager and head coach of Exmouth Swimming Club, said  earlier that day the couple had  met a woman who lived next to  the hotel site and she said she  had been burgled twice in the  last six months and was worried  tourists would be next.

Mrs Smith, 49, described her  experience.

She said: “One of them started  looking at me up and down as if  he had other intentions. The  feeling this gave me was if I’d  been violated.”

The men took cameras, mobile phones and credit cards,  snatched Mrs Smith’s necklace  and took her wedding ring, given to her by her great grandmother.

After telling the robbers they  had their cash in a hotel safe,  even though there wasn’t one,  the robbers led the couple to the  main building after  allowing   them to get dressed.

Once there, they continued to  be threatened but  managed to  escaped after telling the one  man watching them they were  Christians.

The couple ran towards the  beach where they hid in a cave  until daylight.

Mr Smith said: “I still have  scars down my arms and a  broken toe from when we ran  away.

“When I close my eyes at  night I can still see torches and  the cave.

“I don’t know how long it will  take to get that out of my head.

“It’s the traumatic stuff that’s  hard to get over.”

Mr and Mrs Smith have  sought legal action against holiday company Somak Holidays.

Sanjay Sofat, operations director at the holiday firm, said:  “We do our utmost to ensure  that all reasonable steps are  taken to engage competent suppliers who provide a service  with reasonable skill and care.

“In this particular case we  believe the Maasai Security  Guards were competent for the  job which is normally expected  of them.”

 In recompense, the firm has  offered the Exmouth couple  £2,290 for the unused part of  their trip.