Follow-up: this article follows our report on Dr Vincent Brown being charged on 23 September with offences linked to the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
The Vincent Brown bail hearing at the Old Bailey ended with a stark message from the judge: the 65-year-old will remain in custody unless a £100,000 guarantee is paid to the court.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC granted Brown conditional bail on Monday but attached far stricter terms than those imposed at an earlier hearing, raising the security from £25,000 to £100,000.
Brown, formerly known as Dr Vincent Bajinya, must surrender his passport and any national identity cards, must not apply for international travel documents, and must live and sleep at his London address under a curfew.
He will also be electronically monitored and must report to police every day. The judge said that until the £100,000 condition is met, the defendant stays behind bars. Like others held on remand in London’s prisons, he will remain in custody in the meantime.
Bail conditions in full
Key facts
- Who: Dr Vincent Brown, 65, formerly Dr Vincent Bajinya, of Islington, north London
- Court: The Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court), London
- Bail: £100,000 guarantee — up from £25,000 set by magistrates
- Conditions: Passport and ID cards surrendered; no international travel documents; curfew to live and sleep at his London address; electronic monitoring; daily reporting to police
- Status: Remains in custody until the £100,000 is lodged with the court
- Next hearing: 9 October at the Old Bailey
What he is accused of
Brown is the first person in the UK to be charged over the 1994 Rwanda genocide. He is accused of “killing, directing or encouraging” the deaths of members of the Tutsi ethnic group, and is alleged to have been a “leader” or “supervisor” of violent acts carried out by others. He denies wrongdoing.
The six alleged victims were killed between 6 and 13 April 1994 in Kigali: Dominique Mukurarinda, Immaculee Mukankusi, Gerasi Rurangirwa, Leandre Mbogoye, Charlotte Kamaguja and Olivier Tuyishime. Three members of the same household were allegedly murdered, along with a taxi driver and a mother with her young son.
He was charged following a seven-year investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Team.
Timeline of the case
- September 2019: The Met’s War Crimes Team begins its investigation after a request from the Rwandan government.
- 23 September 2026: Brown is charged and appears at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where a £25,000 security is set.
- 28 September 2026: At the Old Bailey, Judge Mark Lucraft KC raises the guarantee to £100,000 and imposes stricter bail conditions.
- 9 October 2026: Brown is next due to appear at the Old Bailey.
Background
Brown qualified as a medical doctor in Rwanda in the 1980s and went on to head the country’s Department of Family Health in Kigali, where he lived in a suburb of the capital with his wife and young son.
In 2006 he worked at Praxis, a London-based charity that supports refugees, and he has served on the Refugee Nurses Task Force, which was set up in 2003 to advise the UK government.
An estimated 800,000 Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus were killed during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which lasted 100 days.
The Old Bailey hearing is one of a number of serious cases currently before London’s courts. Inquiries are continuing into other alleged genocide offences in Rwanda.
What happens next
Until the £100,000 guarantee is lodged with the court, Brown remains in custody. Once the condition is met and the rest of the bail package is in place, he will be released under the curfew and electronic monitoring regime ordered by the judge.
The case returns to the Old Bailey on 9 October, when the court is expected to set out the next steps towards a trial. Brown, who denies wrongdoing, has yet to enter pleas to the charges against him.
We will update this article as the case develops.
