Ex British Soldier Accused of Murdering Kenya Female Shows Up in Courtroom

A suspect has been presented in court as extradition proceedings began in the legal matter of the victim Agnes Wanjiru, a woman of Kenyan origin who was murdered near a British forces camp in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, thirty-eight, who is a native of Greater Manchester, showed up in the Westminster court on Friday, and stated to the court he would challenge the extradition. Reports indicate that he was arrested on Thursday evening.

A warrant for arrest for the defendant was issued by a Kenyan court in Nairobi in the month of September. The prosecution stated before the Kenyan court that the individual had been charged with a sole charge, of murder, and that the Kenyan government would pursue his extradition to stand trial.

He previously worked as a army medic with the Lancaster Regiment, the military regiment for the northwestern England, including on missions to Afghanistan.

Wanjiru, 21 years old, a hairdresser who had a young daughter, went missing after a night on the town, and her remains was discovered two months later in the premises of the lodging where she had previously spotted.

Not a single person had before been arrested or charged in connection to her death. Purkiss’s arrest came after a recent detective probe, which came after a report in 2021 by the Sunday Times, in which the media outlet reached out to several current and former soldiers in the regiment.

This inquiry has been headed by detectives in Kenya, which, under a bilateral defence agreement, maintains prosecutorial power in the legal case.