Former British Soldier Gets Arrested in UK
Robert James Purkiss, aged 38, appeared before a London court on Friday for his first extradition hearing, a day after authorities detained him in Tidworth, Wiltshire, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
“He was remanded into custody until his next appearance at the same court on 14 November,” the NCA stated in an official release.
Kenya’s highest court had issued an arrest warrant in September, seeking the extradition of a British citizen accused of murdering Agnes Wanjiru.
The young woman disappeared in 2012, and her dismembered remains were discovered weeks later inside a hotel’s septic tank near the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK). Reports indicated that the 21-year-old had spent an evening socializing with British soldiers, and an autopsy revealed both a stab wound and additional physical trauma.
A Kenyan investigation conducted in 2019 concluded that British troops were responsible for Wanjiru’s death and urged further inquiries.
In 2021, one British serviceman allegedly admitted guilt, yet prosecutors did not pursue legal action until recently.
The case has heightened tensions between Nairobi and London, particularly concerning which legal system holds authority when British soldiers breach Kenyan law.
The BATUK has persistently petitioned the Kenyan High Court to throw out the case, asserting that the court lacks jurisdiction over matters linked to a UK military contingent operating in Kenya.
Nevertheless, Mbiyu Kamau, the attorney representing Wanjiru’s relatives, has challenged the stance of the British Army. In September, Kamau told a news agency that London had “not been cooperative.”
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