Former UK Soldier Charged of Killing Kenyan Woman Appears in Court

A man has shown up before a judge as extradition hearings commenced in the investigation of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman who was murdered near a British army base in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38, who is originally from Greater Manchester, was presented at Westminster magistrates court on the last Friday, and stated to the court he would challenge the extradition request. Reports indicate that he was detained on Thursday night.

A detention order for the defendant was authorized by a Kenyan court in Nairobi in September. Legal prosecutors stated before the Kenyan court that the individual had been facing a sole charge, of homicide, and that the Kenyan government would pursue his extradition to stand trial.

Purkiss served formerly as a medic with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, the infantry regiment for the north-west of England, including on tours of Afghanistan.

The victim, 21 years old, a hair stylist who had a infant daughter, disappeared after a night on the town, and her remains was found 60 days later in the premises of the accommodation where she had most recently observed.

Nobody had earlier been arrested or accused in connection to her demise. His detention came after a new police inquiry, which was initiated after a exposé in the year 2021 by a weekly publication, in which the newspaper reached out to several serving and ex-military personnel in the regiment.

This inquiry has been headed by investigators from Kenya, which, under a mutual defense pact, retains jurisdiction in the case.