Ex British Soldier Accused of Killing Kenya Woman Shows Up in Courtroom

A suspect has appeared in court as extradition hearings commenced in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan national, a female from Kenya who was murdered near a British forces camp in 2012.

Purkiss, 38, who is originally from the Manchester area, appeared before Westminster magistrates court on Friday, and stated to the court he would challenge the extradition. It is understood that he was taken into custody on Thursday evening.

An arrest warrant for the suspect was issued by a Kenyan court in Nairobi in the month of September. Legal prosecutors informed the Kenyan judiciary that the accused had been charged with a one count, of murder, and that the government of Kenya would request his deportation to answer to accusations.

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

Agnes Wanjiru, 21 years old, a hairdresser who had a baby daughter, vanished after a night out, and her corpse was located 60 days later in the area of the accommodation where she had most recently observed.

No one had before been taken into custody or indicted in relation to her passing. Purkiss’s arrest came after a recent detective probe, which followed a exposé in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the publication approached several serving and ex-military personnel in the military group.

This inquiry has been spearheaded by Kenyan detectives, which, under a bilateral security treaty, retains jurisdiction in the matter.