Ex UK Soldier Accused of Killing Kenya Female Shows Up in Courtroom

An individual has shown up before a judge as extradition proceedings commenced in the case of the victim Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman who was murdered near a British army base in the year 2012.

The accused Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is hailing from the Manchester area, appeared before the magistrates' court in Westminster on Friday, and informed the court he would challenge the extradition request. Reports indicate that he was taken into custody on Thursday night.

A detention order for the suspect was authorized by a Nairobi court in September. The state attorneys told the Kenyan court that the individual had been accused of a sole charge, of killing, and that the government of Kenya would request his deportation to stand trial.

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

The victim, 21 years old, a hairdresser who had a baby daughter, went missing after a evening out, and her corpse was located two months later in the area of the lodging where she had previously spotted.

Not a single person had previously been arrested or accused in association with her death. The arrest of Purkiss followed a new police inquiry, which came after a article in 2021 by the Sunday Times, in which the publication contacted several serving and ex-military personnel in the regiment.

The probe has been spearheaded by Kenyan detectives, which, under a mutual defense pact, maintains prosecutorial power in the matter.