Ex British Soldier Charged of Killing Kenyan Female Shows Up in Court

A man has appeared in court as extradition hearings started in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman who was killed near a UK military installation in 2012.

Purkiss, 38, who is originally from Greater Manchester region, showed up in the magistrates' court in Westminster on the last Friday, and informed the court he would challenge the extradition. Reports indicate that he was detained on Thursday night.

A detention order for the defendant was released by a Nairobi court in September. The prosecution informed the Kenyan judiciary that the accused had been charged with a sole charge, of murder, and that the Kenyan government would pursue his extradition to stand trial.

Purkiss served formerly as a medic with the Lancaster Regiment, the infantry regiment for the English northwest, including on tours of Afghanistan.

The victim, 21 years old, a hair stylist who had a infant daughter, disappeared after a night out, and her remains was discovered two months later in the grounds of the hotel where she had previously spotted.

Not a single person had before been arrested or charged in relation to her demise. The arrest of Purkiss came after a new police inquiry, which came after a report in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the newspaper reached out to several active and retired troops in the unit.

The investigation has been headed by Kenyan detectives, which, under a bilateral security treaty, holds legal authority in the case.