But Suffolk hotelier John Ward, 66, says he will refuse to give up hope until the judge delivers his verdict on charges against the suspect Simon Makallah on 17 September. "I am a bit disappointed of course, but the case is still sub judice so I really cannot say much," he said.

"The man in the red coat (the judge), he has the last say."

John Ward has spent £500,000 seeking the truth

Miss Ward, 28, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was found dead in the Masai Mara game reserve in September 1988. Her charred leg and jaw bone were found in the ashes of a bonfire.

The High Court hearing into the death of Miss Ward has been running in Nairobi since March, and has now ended.

Her father has attended the entire trial, which involves three assessors appointed by the court to help the judge evaluate the evidence instead of a jury system.

They said the prosecution had failed to prove that the game warden suspect had killed Miss Ward, and concluded she had been murdered without the killer being identified.

"The prosecution and the investigating officers did their level best, although they did not get the murderers," said assessor James Koula, speaking for all three.

Simon Ole Makallah: Denies murder

"We are very sorry for the loss of Julie Ward's life and only the almighty God knows who the murderers are. Consequently, we give the accused the benefit of not guilty."

But the assessors' opinion is not binding on the court.

Mr Makallah, who was chief warden of the Masai Mara game reserve at the time of the killing, will remain in custody until the verdict. He was charged with the murder last year but denies the offence.

Two junior park wardens were acquitted of the murder in 1992, and in February 1999 the case against another suspect, game park worker, David Ole Nchoko, was dismissed.