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UK court refuses bail for ex-soldier accused of murdering Kenyan woman
(MENAFN) A London court has refused to grant bail to a former British serviceman accused of killing a Kenyan woman more than ten years ago, as he continues to contest efforts to have him extradited to Kenya for trial.
Robert James Purkiss, 38, has remained in custody since his detention earlier this month by national authorities in Wiltshire. His arrest followed a warrant issued by Kenyan officials back in September, according to reports.
During a hearing on Monday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court—where Purkiss is currently undergoing extradition proceedings—prosecutors stated that he had allegedly admitted to at least one fellow soldier that he was responsible for the death of Agnes Wanjiru in March 2012.
Wanjiru, a 21-year-old mother of an infant, was discovered in a septic tank close to the Lions Court Hotel in Nanyuki, a town where British troops stationed in Kenya often train. She had reportedly spent the night socializing with soldiers, and a postmortem examination indicated she suffered a stab wound along with additional injuries.
A lawyer speaking on behalf of Kenyan prosecutors said Purkiss had once shown a soldier the location where Wanjiru’s body was eventually found, and later told another soldier that he killed her after “sex that went wrong,” according to reports.
The former soldier, however, “vehemently denies” the accusations. He has also received financial support from the UK Ministry of Defense to cover some of his legal expenses, as stated by British media.
In an interview last week, Purkiss told a newspaper that he “did not kill Agnes Wanjiru.”
“I do not believe I ever met her either, neither would I joke about killing a woman. I only heard about the incident weeks later when I was on a military exercise in Canada,” he added.
Robert James Purkiss, 38, has remained in custody since his detention earlier this month by national authorities in Wiltshire. His arrest followed a warrant issued by Kenyan officials back in September, according to reports.
During a hearing on Monday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court—where Purkiss is currently undergoing extradition proceedings—prosecutors stated that he had allegedly admitted to at least one fellow soldier that he was responsible for the death of Agnes Wanjiru in March 2012.
Wanjiru, a 21-year-old mother of an infant, was discovered in a septic tank close to the Lions Court Hotel in Nanyuki, a town where British troops stationed in Kenya often train. She had reportedly spent the night socializing with soldiers, and a postmortem examination indicated she suffered a stab wound along with additional injuries.
A lawyer speaking on behalf of Kenyan prosecutors said Purkiss had once shown a soldier the location where Wanjiru’s body was eventually found, and later told another soldier that he killed her after “sex that went wrong,” according to reports.
The former soldier, however, “vehemently denies” the accusations. He has also received financial support from the UK Ministry of Defense to cover some of his legal expenses, as stated by British media.
In an interview last week, Purkiss told a newspaper that he “did not kill Agnes Wanjiru.”
“I do not believe I ever met her either, neither would I joke about killing a woman. I only heard about the incident weeks later when I was on a military exercise in Canada,” he added.
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