Former British Soldier Accused of Murdering Kenya Female Shows Up in Court

A man has appeared in court as deportation processes commenced in the investigation of Agnes Wanjiru, a woman of Kenyan origin who was murdered near a UK military installation in 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38, who is originally from Greater Manchester, appeared before the magistrates' court in Westminster on Friday, and stated to the court he intended to contest the deportation. Sources suggest that he was arrested on Thursday evening.

A warrant for arrest for the suspect was released by a Kenyan court in Nairobi in September. The prosecution informed the Kenyan judiciary that the individual had been facing a sole charge, of homicide, and that the Kenyan authorities would request his deportation to answer to accusations.

The defendant previously worked as a medical attendant with the regiment of the Duke of Lancaster, the infantry regiment for the north-west of England, including on deployments in Afghanistan.

The victim, 21, a hairdresser who had a young daughter, vanished after a night out, and her remains was found two months later in the premises of the accommodation where she had most recently observed.

Not a single person had previously been arrested or charged in relation to her demise. Purkiss’s arrest followed a new police inquiry, which came after a report in 2021 by a weekly publication, in which the media outlet approached several current and former soldiers in the unit.

The probe has been led by investigators from Kenya, which, under a mutual defense pact, holds legal authority in the matter.