Former British Soldier Accused of Killing Kenya Woman Shows Up in Courtroom

A man has appeared in court as deportation processes started in the legal matter of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan national, a Kenyan woman who was murdered near a British forces camp in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is hailing from Greater Manchester region, showed up in the magistrates' court in Westminster on the last Friday, and informed the court he intended to contest the extradition request. It is understood that he was taken into custody on Thursday evening.

A detention order for the defendant was issued by a Kenyan court in Nairobi in September. Legal prosecutors stated before the Kenyan court that Purkiss had been charged with a one count, of murder, and that the Kenyan authorities would pursue his extradition to face charges.

Purkiss served formerly as a medic with the regiment of the Duke of Lancaster, the army unit for the north-west of England, including on deployments in Afghanistan.

The victim, 21, a hairdresser who had a young daughter, disappeared after a night out, and her remains was discovered 60 days later in the grounds of the accommodation where she had most recently observed.

No one had previously been arrested or accused in association with her passing. Purkiss’s arrest came after a recent detective probe, which was initiated after a report in the year 2021 by the Sunday Times, in which the newspaper contacted several current and former soldiers in the regiment.

The probe has been headed by detectives in Kenya, which, under a mutual defense pact, maintains prosecutorial power in the legal case.