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

A suspect has appeared in court as extradition hearings began in the legal matter of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan national, a female from Kenya who was killed near a UK military installation in 2012.

The accused Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is hailing from Greater Manchester region, showed up in Westminster magistrates court on Friday, and stated to the court he would challenge the deportation. Sources suggest that he was taken into custody on Thursday night.

An arrest warrant for the suspect was authorized by a Nairobi court in the month of September. The state attorneys stated before the Kenyan court that the individual had been facing a single count, of killing, and that the Kenyan authorities would request his deportation to stand trial.

He previously worked as a medic with the regiment of the Duke of Lancaster, the infantry regiment for the northwestern England, including on tours of Afghanistan.

Wanjiru, 21, a hair stylist who had a young daughter, went missing after a evening out, and her body was located after two months in the grounds of the hotel where she had previously spotted.

Not a single person had before been taken into custody or indicted in relation to her passing. His detention came after a recent detective probe, which was initiated after a exposé in 2021 by a weekly publication, in which the media outlet contacted several serving and ex-military personnel in the unit.

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