The court was informed that the remains of a young mother, allegedly murdered by a former British soldier, were discovered in an extensively decomposed state inside a septic tank. The accused, ex-soldier Robert James Purkiss, made an appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court facing charges related to the killing of Agnes Wanjiru, aged 21, during a British Army training session in Nanyuki, Kenya, back in 2012.
According to prosecutors, Wanjiru was reportedly last seen leaving a hotel with a soldier during a break from the training exercise. The court was told that Purkiss and other soldiers, while on leave, engaged in heavy drinking and paid local women for sexual services. Purkiss has been accused of Wanjiru’s murder, with allegations that fellow soldiers had confessed to the crime to military authorities and made inappropriate comments about the incident on social media.
A legal representative, Joel Smith KC, detailed how Purkiss and other soldiers had indulged in heavy drinking in town on the same night Wanjiru went out with friends. Wanjiru had left her infant daughter with a friend and was last seen departing a hotel with a soldier. Tragically, her body was discovered two months later inside a septic tank, in an advanced state of decomposition, with evidence of a stab wound and a collapsed lung.
Purkiss is contesting extradition to Kenya to face the murder allegation, denying any involvement in the crime as stated by his lawyer, David Josse. The trial is ongoing.