Ex UK Soldier Accused of Murdering Kenyan Woman Appears in Courtroom

A man has shown up before a judge as deportation processes commenced in the investigation of the victim Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman who was killed near a UK military installation in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38, who is a native of Greater Manchester region, showed up in the magistrates' court in Westminster on Friday, and stated to the court he planned to fight the deportation. Reports indicate that he was detained on Thursday evening.

A warrant for arrest for Purkiss was authorized by a Nairobi court in September. The prosecution stated before the Kenyan court that the individual had been charged with a one count, of killing, and that the Kenyan government would seek his extradition to face charges.

The defendant previously worked as a medic with the regiment of the Duke of Lancaster, the infantry regiment for the northwestern England, including on tours of Afghanistan.

Wanjiru, 21 years old, a hairdresser who had a young daughter, disappeared after a night on the town, and her body was located two months later in the grounds of the accommodation where she had previously spotted.

Not a single person had earlier been detained or indicted in relation to her death. Purkiss’s arrest came after a new police inquiry, which followed a article in the year 2021 by a weekly publication, in which the media outlet contacted several current and former soldiers in the regiment.

The investigation has been spearheaded by Kenyan detectives, which, under a bilateral defence agreement, maintains prosecutorial power in the matter.