Former British Serviceman Accused of Killing Kenyan Woman Shows Up in Courtroom

A suspect has appeared in court as extradition hearings started in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a female from Kenya who was killed near a British army base in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is a native of Greater Manchester region, showed up in the Westminster court on Friday, and told the court he would challenge the extradition. Sources suggest that he was arrested on Thursday night.

An arrest warrant for the defendant was authorized by a Kenyan court in Nairobi in September. Legal prosecutors informed the Kenyan judiciary that the accused had been accused of a single count, of homicide, and that the Kenyan authorities would request his deportation to stand trial.

Purkiss was once employed as a medic with the Lancaster Regiment, the military regiment for the north-west of England, including on missions to Afghanistan.

Agnes Wanjiru, 21 years old, a hairdresser who had a young daughter, disappeared after a evening out, and her remains was located two months later in the area of the lodging where she had most recently observed.

No one had earlier been arrested or charged in connection to her death. The arrest of Purkiss was the result of a recent detective probe, which followed a article in 2021 by a weekly publication, in which the media outlet contacted several serving and ex-military personnel in the military group.

The investigation has been headed by detectives in Kenya, which, under a bilateral security treaty, retains jurisdiction in the matter.