A British court has denied bail to a former soldier accused of murdering a Kenyan woman whose body was found in a septic tank in 2012. Robert James Purkiss, 38, faces extradition to Kenya over the alleged killing of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring rejected the bail request at Westminster Magistrates' Court despite Purkiss offering a £15,000 security fee. "I agree with the Kenyan authorities that there is a significant risk that if I release you, you could cause harm to another either physically or mentally," the judge said. Purkiss, originally from Lancashire, does not consent to his extradition.
The allegations
Prosecutors say Purkiss allegedly told a colleague "it was sex that went wrong" in an apparent confession. A previous hearing was told that a colleague saw him crying outside the Lions Court Hotel in Nanyuki at the time of the alleged murder. When asked why he was crying, Purkiss reportedly said: "I've killed her."
In 2018, Purkiss allegedly responded with a "smiling face emoji" after a colleague posted a picture of himself outside the hotel with the comment "if you know you know", while also referencing the septic tank.
Defendant denies charges
Speaking publicly about the alleged killing for the first time, Purkiss told the Daily Mail he is innocent. "I did not kill Agnes Wanjiru, I do not believe I ever met her either. Neither would I joke about killing a woman," he said. He added: "I only heard about the incident weeks later when I was on a military exercise in Canada."
David Josse KC, representing Purkiss, called it "fanciful" to suggest his client would flee. The former soldier "vehemently denies" murder and has received Ministry of Defence funding to help pay for his defence.
Background
An inquest in 2018 concluded Wanjiru was murdered by British soldiers after she was discovered near a British Army base, two months after she disappeared. The Kenyan director of public prosecutions has described the alleged murder as "brutal".
Purkiss will next appear at the same court on December 9 for a case management hearing.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
