The court was informed that the remains of a young mother, allegedly killed by a former British soldier, were discovered in a highly decomposed state inside a septic tank. Robert James Purkiss, the ex-soldier, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court facing charges of murdering Agnes Wanjiru, 21, during a British Army training session in Nanyuki, Kenya in 2012. It was revealed in court that Purkiss and other soldiers were in Kenya for a six-week exercise from February to April, during which they had a brief break.
According to prosecutors, Wanjiru was last seen leaving a hotel with a soldier during their time off from the exercise, before her body was found decomposing in the septic tank. Joel Smith KC told the court that when the soldiers had downtime, including Purkiss, they would frequent the town, indulge in heavy drinking, and engage with local women for paid services. Smith accused Purkiss of Wanjiru’s murder, stating that fellow soldiers had confessed to the crime to military authorities and even made light of it in Facebook conversations.
Describing the events, Smith mentioned that Purkiss and other soldiers went out for heavy drinking in town on the night of March 31, 2012, coinciding with the night Wanjiru went out with friends. They all ended up at the Lions Court Hotel, where some soldiers had booked accommodations. Wanjiru, who had left her infant daughter with a friend, met the soldiers at the hotel, with the last sighting of her leaving with one of them.
Wanjiru was reported missing on April 2 after not returning home, and her body was discovered two months later in a decomposed state in a septic tank on the hotel premises. The post-mortem examination revealed a 2cm stab wound to her lower abdomen and a collapsed lung. Purkiss is contesting extradition to Kenya for the murder charge, with his lawyer vehemently denying the allegations.
The trial is ongoing.
