John Ward complained about the Scotland Yard investigation

"I think the Scotland Yard inquiry was flawed," the Sunday Telegraph reported him as saying.

"We discovered a lot of evidence in the course of our investigation that was available to them if they had looked for it."

He added that he still hoped Miss Ward's killers would be brought to justice, particularly because of recent developments in DNA and other forensic tests.

Miss Ward, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was last seen alive at a campsite during a trip to Kenya to photograph wildlife.

The 28-year-old publishing assistant's jeep was found in the Masai Mara game reserve a week later near the campsite, with SOS written in mud on its roof.

Three tried

Her charred and mutilated remains were found in the park over the following weeks.

The Kenyan authorities initially denied there had been a murder, suggesting that Miss Ward had either committed suicide or had been devoured by animals.

But John Ward campaigned tirelessly for a thorough investigation and eventually the Scotland Yard officers were called in.

Two park rangers, Peter Kipeen and Jonah Magiroi, stood trial for Miss Ward's murder in 1992 following recommendations by the detectives.

The chief game warden at the reserve, Simon Ole Makallah, was also tried for the killing seven years later. All three were acquitted.