Ex British Serviceman Charged of Murdering Kenya Female Appears in Court

A suspect has appeared in court as extradition hearings started in the legal matter of the victim Agnes Wanjiru, a woman of Kenyan origin who was found dead near a British forces camp in 2012.

The accused Robert Purkiss, 38, 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. Sources suggest that he was detained on Thursday night.

A detention order for the defendant was issued by a Nairobi court in the month of September. The prosecution told the Kenyan court that Purkiss had been facing a sole charge, of homicide, and that the Kenyan government would request his deportation to face charges.

The defendant served formerly as a army medic with the regiment of the Duke of Lancaster, the army unit for the northwestern England, including on tours of Afghanistan.

The victim, 21, a beautician who had a young daughter, went missing after a night out, and her remains was located two months later in the premises of the lodging where she had previously spotted.

No one had previously been taken into custody or accused in association with her passing. His detention was the result of a fresh police investigation, which followed a report in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the newspaper reached out to several current and former soldiers in the regiment.

The investigation has been headed by investigators from Kenya, which, under a bilateral defence agreement, maintains prosecutorial power in the matter.