Former British Soldier Accused of Murdering Kenyan Female Shows Up in Courtroom

An individual has appeared in court as deportation processes began in the investigation of Agnes Wanjiru, a female from Kenya who was murdered near a British forces camp in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is a native of Greater Manchester region, showed up in the magistrates' court in Westminster on Friday, and stated to the court he would challenge the extradition. Reports indicate that he was taken into custody on Thursday evening.

An arrest warrant for the suspect was issued by a Nairobi court in September. The state attorneys told the Kenyan court that Purkiss had been facing a single count, of homicide, and that the Kenyan government would seek his extradition to answer to accusations.

The defendant was once employed as a army medic with the Lancaster Regiment, the military regiment for the northwestern England, including on deployments in Afghanistan.

The victim, 21 years old, a hairdresser who had a infant daughter, went missing after a night out, and her remains was discovered two months later in the area of the hotel where she had last been seen.

Nobody had before been detained or charged in connection to her demise. The arrest of Purkiss followed a fresh police investigation, which came after a article in 2021 by a weekly publication, in which the publication contacted several current and former soldiers in the unit.

The investigation has been spearheaded by investigators from Kenya, which, under a bilateral security treaty, maintains prosecutorial power in the case.