Ex British Serviceman Accused of Murdering Kenyan Woman Shows Up in Courtroom

A suspect has appeared in court as extradition proceedings started in the investigation of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman who was found dead near a British forces camp in 2012.

Purkiss, 38, who is a native of the Manchester area, showed up in the Westminster court on the last Friday, and told the court he intended to contest the extradition. It is understood that he was taken into custody on Thursday night.

A detention order for Purkiss was authorized by a Nairobi court in the month of September. The state attorneys informed the Kenyan judiciary that the individual had been accused of a sole charge, of homicide, and that the Kenyan authorities would seek his extradition to answer to accusations.

Purkiss was once employed as a medical attendant with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, the infantry regiment for the northwestern England, including on missions to Afghanistan.

The victim, 21, a hairdresser who had a baby daughter, vanished after a night on the town, and her remains was located after two months in the area of the accommodation where she had last been seen.

Not a single person had earlier been detained or indicted in association with her death. The arrest of Purkiss came after a recent detective probe, which followed a report in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the newspaper reached out to several current and former soldiers in the military group.

The investigation has been led by detectives in Kenya, which, under a bilateral security treaty, maintains prosecutorial power in the matter.