Ex British Soldier Charged of Killing Kenyan Woman Appears in Courtroom

A man has appeared in court as deportation processes commenced in the case of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan national, a female from Kenya who was found dead near a British forces camp in 2012.

Purkiss, 38, who is a native of Greater Manchester region, appeared before the magistrates' court in Westminster on the last Friday, and informed the court he would challenge the deportation. Sources suggest that he was detained on the evening of Thursday.

An arrest warrant for the defendant was released 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 Kenyan authorities would request his deportation to answer to accusations.

Purkiss served formerly as a medic with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, the infantry regiment for the north-west of England, including on missions to Afghanistan.

Wanjiru, 21, a hairdresser who had a young daughter, disappeared after a evening out, and her corpse was located two months later in the premises of the accommodation where she had most recently observed.

Not a single person had earlier been arrested or charged in association with her demise. His detention followed a fresh police investigation, which followed a article in 2021 by a Sunday newspaper, in which the media outlet reached out to several active and retired troops in the unit.

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