Ex UK Soldier Charged of Killing Kenyan Woman Shows Up in Courtroom

A man has been presented in court as extradition hearings commenced in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a woman of Kenyan origin who was murdered near a UK military installation in 2012.

Purkiss, 38 years old, who is a native of Greater Manchester region, was presented at Westminster magistrates court on Friday, and informed the court he intended to contest the extradition. Reports indicate that he was taken into custody on the evening of Thursday.

An arrest warrant for Purkiss was authorized by a Nairobi court in September. The prosecution stated before the Kenyan court that the individual had been facing a sole charge, of homicide, and that the government of Kenya would pursue his extradition to answer to accusations.

The defendant was once employed as a medical attendant with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, the army unit for the English northwest, including on deployments in Afghanistan.

The victim, 21, a hair stylist who had a infant daughter, vanished after a night out, and her remains was discovered 60 days later in the premises of the hotel where she had most recently observed.

Not a single person had earlier been taken into custody or accused in connection to her death. His detention was the result of a new police inquiry, which was initiated after a exposé in 2021 by a weekly publication, in which the media outlet contacted several serving and ex-military personnel in the military group.

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