Former UK Serviceman Accused of Murdering Kenyan Woman Shows Up in Courtroom

A man has shown up before a judge as deportation processes began in the legal matter of the victim Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman who was killed near a UK military installation in the year 2012.

Robert Purkiss, 38, who is a native of Greater Manchester, showed up in the magistrates' court in Westminster on Friday, and informed the court he intended to contest the extradition. Reports indicate that he was detained on the evening of Thursday.

A warrant for arrest for Purkiss was authorized by a Nairobi court in September. The prosecution informed the Kenyan judiciary that Purkiss had been facing a one count, of homicide, and that the Kenyan government would pursue his extradition to stand trial.

He was once employed as a army medic with the Lancaster Regiment, the military regiment for the English northwest, including on deployments in Afghanistan.

Wanjiru, 21, a beautician who had a baby daughter, vanished after a night out, and her remains was found 60 days later in the area of the accommodation where she had most recently observed.

Not a single person had earlier been detained or indicted in connection to her demise. His detention was the result of a recent detective probe, which came after a report in the year 2021 by a weekly publication, in which the publication contacted several current and former soldiers in the military group.

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