Former British Soldier Charged of Murdering Kenya Woman Appears in Court

A suspect has appeared in court as deportation processes began in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a woman of Kenyan origin who was murdered near a British forces camp in the year 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is originally from Greater Manchester region, appeared before the Westminster court on Friday, and informed the court he intended to contest the extradition request. Reports indicate that he was arrested on Thursday night.

A detention order for Purkiss was issued by a Nairobi court in September. Legal prosecutors stated before the Kenyan court that Purkiss had been charged with a one count, of murder, and that the government of Kenya would seek his extradition to stand trial.

Purkiss previously worked as a medical attendant with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, the army unit for the English northwest, including on missions to Afghanistan.

Agnes Wanjiru, twenty-one, a hair stylist who had a baby daughter, went missing after a night out, and her corpse was discovered two months later in the grounds of the lodging where she had most recently observed.

Nobody had previously been taken into custody or charged in relation to her death. The arrest of Purkiss came after a recent detective probe, which followed a exposé in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the media outlet reached out to several serving and ex-military personnel in the military group.

This inquiry has been headed by detectives in Kenya, which, under a bilateral security treaty, retains jurisdiction in the case.