Former British Serviceman Accused of Killing Kenya Woman Appears in Courtroom

A man has shown up before a judge as extradition proceedings started in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan national, a Kenyan woman who was murdered near a British army base in 2012.

The accused Robert Purkiss, 38 years old, who is hailing from Greater Manchester region, was presented at the magistrates' court in Westminster on the last Friday, and stated to the court he planned to fight the extradition. Reports indicate that he was arrested on Thursday night.

A detention order for Purkiss was authorized by a Kenyan court in Nairobi in the month of September. The state attorneys told the Kenyan court that Purkiss had been facing a sole charge, of murder, and that the Kenyan government would seek his extradition to face charges.

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

The victim, 21, a beautician who had a infant daughter, went missing after a night on the town, and her corpse was discovered 60 days later in the area of the lodging where she had previously spotted.

No one had before been arrested or charged in relation to her passing. His detention was the result of a recent detective probe, which came after a report in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the newspaper contacted several active and retired troops in the regiment.

The investigation has been headed by detectives in Kenya, which, under a bilateral defence agreement, holds legal authority in the matter.