Former UK Soldier Accused of Killing Kenyan Female Shows Up in Court

A suspect has shown up before a judge as extradition proceedings began in the investigation of the victim Agnes Wanjiru, a woman of Kenyan origin who was killed near a British army base in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, thirty-eight, who is originally from Greater Manchester, was presented at the magistrates' court in Westminster on Friday, and stated to the court he would challenge the extradition. Sources suggest that he was arrested on Thursday night.

A warrant for arrest for the defendant was authorized by a Nairobi court in the month of September. The state attorneys told the Kenyan court that Purkiss had been accused of a one count, of homicide, and that the Kenyan authorities would request his deportation to answer to accusations.

Purkiss previously worked as a army medic with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, the infantry regiment for the north-west of England, including on tours of Afghanistan.

Agnes Wanjiru, twenty-one, a hair stylist who had a infant daughter, went missing after a night out, and her remains was located 60 days later in the premises of the lodging where she had most recently observed.

Not a single person had previously been taken into custody or indicted in relation to her death. Purkiss’s arrest followed a fresh police investigation, which was initiated after a report in 2021 by the Sunday Times, in which the publication reached out to several serving and ex-military personnel in the regiment.

This inquiry has been headed by Kenyan detectives, which, under a bilateral security treaty, maintains prosecutorial power in the matter.