Former British Soldier Charged of Killing Kenyan Female Appears in Courtroom

A suspect has shown up before a judge as deportation processes commenced in the investigation of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan national, a Kenyan woman who was murdered near a British forces camp in the year 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is originally from the Manchester area, appeared before the Westminster court on Friday, and stated to the court he planned to fight the deportation. It is understood that he was arrested on Thursday evening.

An arrest warrant for Purkiss was authorized by a Kenyan court in Nairobi in the month of September. The prosecution informed the Kenyan judiciary that the accused had been facing a sole charge, of homicide, and that the Kenyan authorities would seek his extradition to answer to accusations.

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

Wanjiru, twenty-one, a beautician who had a young daughter, went missing after a night on the town, and her corpse was located 60 days later in the grounds of the hotel where she had most recently observed.

Not a single person had earlier been arrested or accused in connection to her demise. His detention followed a new police inquiry, which followed a exposé in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the publication reached out to several current and former soldiers in the military group.

This inquiry has been headed by detectives in Kenya, which, under a bilateral defence agreement, maintains prosecutorial power in the case.