Former UK Serviceman Charged of Murdering Kenyan Woman Appears in Court

An individual has been presented in court as extradition proceedings commenced in the investigation of Agnes Wanjiru, a woman of Kenyan origin who was found dead near a British forces camp in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38, who is hailing from Greater Manchester region, appeared before the Westminster court on Friday, and stated to the court he would challenge the extradition request. It is understood that he was arrested on Thursday evening.

An arrest warrant for the defendant was authorized by a Nairobi court in the month of September. The prosecution told the Kenyan court that the accused had been accused of a sole charge, of killing, and that the government of Kenya would seek his extradition to answer to accusations.

Purkiss served formerly as a medical attendant with the regiment of the Duke of Lancaster, the army unit for the northwestern England, including on tours of Afghanistan.

The victim, twenty-one, a beautician who had a young daughter, disappeared after a evening out, and her corpse was located after two months in the premises of the lodging where she had most recently observed.

Not a single person had earlier been arrested or accused in relation to her demise. His detention came after a new police inquiry, which was initiated after a article in 2021 by a weekly publication, in which the media outlet contacted several current and former soldiers in the regiment.

This inquiry has been headed by detectives in Kenya, which, under a mutual defense pact, holds legal authority in the case.