Former British Serviceman Accused of Murdering Kenya Woman Appears in Court

A suspect has shown up before a judge as deportation processes started in the investigation of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan national, a woman of Kenyan origin who was killed near a British army base in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is hailing from Greater Manchester region, showed up in the magistrates' court in Westminster on the last Friday, and informed the court he would challenge the extradition request. Reports indicate that he was detained on Thursday evening.

An arrest warrant for the defendant was released by a Nairobi court in the month of September. Legal prosecutors stated before the Kenyan court that the accused had been accused of a single count, of killing, and that the Kenyan government would request his deportation to stand trial.

The defendant previously worked as a medic with the regiment of the Duke of Lancaster, the military regiment for the north-west of England, including on tours of Afghanistan.

Agnes Wanjiru, 21, a hair stylist who had a young daughter, went missing after a night on the town, and her remains was located 60 days later in the area of the accommodation where she had most recently observed.

Nobody had before been detained or accused in relation to her death. The arrest of Purkiss was the result of a recent detective probe, which followed a exposé in 2021 by the Sunday Times, in which the newspaper approached several serving and ex-military personnel in the military group.

The probe has been spearheaded by investigators from Kenya, which, under a bilateral security treaty, holds legal authority in the legal case.