A former British soldier accused of murdering Kenyan mother Agnes Wanjiru has denied any involvement in her death. Robert Purkiss is currently being held at a London prison pending extradition proceedings, after a Kenyan court issued a warrant for his arrest in September.
He was arrested on November 6, 2025, in Tidworth, Wiltshire, by specialist officers from the UK National Crime Agency’s National Extradition Unit. Purkiss told Westminster Magistrates’ Court that he would contest the extradition, with his lawyers insisting he “vehemently denies” murder.
Wanjiru, a 21-year-old mother of a four-month-old baby, was last seen with British soldiers at a hotel in Nanyuki in 2012. Her body, beaten, stabbed, and reportedly still alive when she was dumped, was found in a septic tank on June 5 of that year.
A 2019 Kenyan inquest concluded she had been unlawfully killed by British soldiers, a finding that has fuelled a long-running diplomatic dispute between Kenya and the UK, particularly under the former Conservative government. The new Labour government has pledged to support the Kenyan investigation and “secure a resolution to this case”.
Robert Purkiss denies meeting the late Agnes Wanjiru
Speaking for the first time since his detention, Purkiss denied ever meeting Wanjiru and rejected all allegations linking him to her death.
The 38-year-old told the Daily Mail, “I did not kill Agnes Wanjuri, I do not believe I ever met her either. I only heard about the incident weeks later, while on a military exercise in Canada. Only much later than that was I told a body had been found in a tank.”
Purkiss, a former army medic who served multiple tours in Afghanistan, argued that the nature of Wanjiru’s injuries would have left obvious forensic traces if he had been involved.
“I was a medic, I’ve treated people on the battlefield. Agnes was stabbed in the abdomen. She would have lost a lot of blood. If I killed her and dumped her body there would have been blood over my clothes and hands. There was none.”
He added: “There is no basis in fact to any suggestion I murdered Agnes Wanjiru. I am sorry if that is hard for her family to hear, but it was not me.”
Despite his denial, prosecutors in London referenced testimony from fellow soldiers alleging that Purkiss had confessed. Prosecutor Joel Smith told the court that British soldiers on leave had been drinking heavily at a Nanyuki hotel where they were known to pay local women for sex. Witnesses reported that Wanjiru was with the group that night and was last seen leaving the hotel with a soldier.
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Smith said one colleague told military police in Kenya that Purkiss had allegedly described the killing as “sex that went wrong.” Another soldier said he overheard Purkiss celebrating “killing a brass.”
It was further alleged that Purkiss had led a colleague to the septic tank to view the body and later joked about the death in Facebook messages. A night guard and hotel guest reportedly heard a woman screaming that same night.
Purkiss dismissed the allegations, stating: “I never booked the hotel room, can’t remember ever being in it. I think we were back in camp by midnight.”
Investigations
No forensic evidence nor murder weapon has ever been recovered. In addition, the case is further complicated as no bloodied clothing nor DNA linking Purkiss to the crime.
If the case proceeds, the ex-soldier will become the first British serviceman extradited to a foreign country for the murder of a civilian.
Wanjiru was reported missing days after her disappearance in March 2012. Her decomposed body was found two months later. A post-mortem revealed a stab wound to the lower abdomen and a collapsed lung.
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Purkiss did not enter a plea during the London hearing but shook his head repeatedly as prosecutors outlined the allegations. His lawyer, David Josse, reiterated that the accusations are untrue, and Purkiss has argued that a trial in Kenya would be unfair, claiming he fears a politically charged “show trial”.
“For the sake of my family, I try to stay positive, but it is bloody hard,” he said. “Whatever people say about squaddies, I don’t believe any of us would cover up something as serious as the murder of a woman. None of this makes sense.”
The case has intensified scrutiny of British military conduct in Kenya. A 2024 British Army review identified 35 suspected cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by soldiers stationed near Nanyuki since Kenya’s independence in 1963.
Wanjiru’s family travelled to London last month, where UK Defence Secretary John Healey assured them of Britain’s “steadfast support for their fight for justice.”
Purkiss is expected to return to Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday for a further bail application hearing.
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