Former British Serviceman Charged of Murdering Kenya Female Appears in Courtroom

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

Purkiss, 38, who is originally from Greater Manchester region, showed up in Westminster magistrates court on the last Friday, and informed the court he intended to contest the extradition request. Reports indicate that he was taken into custody on Thursday evening.

A warrant for arrest for the defendant was issued by a Nairobi court in the month of September. The prosecution told the Kenyan court that the individual had been charged with a one count, of killing, and that the Kenyan authorities would pursue his extradition to answer to accusations.

The defendant previously worked as a medical attendant with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, the army unit for the north-west of England, including on tours of Afghanistan.

The victim, 21 years old, a hair stylist who had a young daughter, vanished after a evening out, and her remains was located after two months in the grounds of the accommodation where she had most recently observed.

Not a single person had previously been arrested or accused in connection to her death. The arrest of Purkiss came after a fresh police investigation, which came after a report in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the media outlet contacted several serving and ex-military personnel in the regiment.

The investigation has been spearheaded by investigators from Kenya, which, under a bilateral security treaty, retains jurisdiction in the legal case.