Ex British Soldier Accused of Killing Kenya Woman Shows Up in Court

A suspect has shown up before a judge as deportation processes commenced in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a female from Kenya who was killed near a UK military installation in 2012.

The accused Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is originally from the Manchester area, showed up in Westminster magistrates court on the last Friday, and stated to the court he would challenge the extradition request. Sources suggest that he was taken into custody on the evening of Thursday.

A warrant for arrest for Purkiss was released by a Nairobi court in September. The prosecution told the Kenyan court that Purkiss had been accused of a one count, of homicide, and that the Kenyan government would request his deportation to face charges.

He previously worked as a medic with the Lancaster Regiment, the army unit for the English northwest, including on missions to Afghanistan.

Agnes Wanjiru, 21, a beautician who had a young daughter, vanished after a night out, and her remains was located 60 days later in the premises of the accommodation where she had last been seen.

No one had previously been arrested or charged in association with her death. His detention came after a new police inquiry, which came after a exposé in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the newspaper approached several serving and ex-military personnel in the regiment.

The probe has been headed by Kenyan detectives, which, under a bilateral defence agreement, maintains prosecutorial power in the matter.