Robert James Purkiss has been named as the suspect in the murder of Agnes Wanjiru in Kenya
09:49, 22 Sep 2025Updated 10:19, 22 Sep 2025
A British soldier is accused of murdering Agnes Wanjiru(Image: Gannet77 via Getty Images)
A soldier from Greater Manchester has been named as the suspect in the murder of a woman whose body was discovered in a septic tank behind a Kenyan hotel.
Court documents from Kenya, initially reported by the Sunday Times, reveal that Robert James Purkiss is charged with a single count of murdering on the night of March 31, 2012.
An inquest in 2018 concluded that Ms Wanjiru was murdered by British soldiers after her body was found near a British Army base, two months following her disappearance.
A warrant for Purkiss’s arrest was issued on Tuesday, and the Sunday Times reported that Kenyan authorities will seek his extradition.
Agnes Wanjiru(Image: Handout)
The newspaper revealed that the suspect, from Greater Manchester, previously served as a medic with the Duke of Lancaster regiment, including during tours of Afghanistan.
According to previous reports, a British soldier has already confessed to the murder of the sex worker.
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An inquest determined that Ms Wanjiru was last seen with British soldiers stationed in Nanyuki, Kenya.
A post-mortem examination concluded that she died due to stab wounds to her chest and abdomen.
There was also evidence that she had been beaten but, due to the condition of her body, it was unclear whether she had been sexually assaulted.
In 2021, Kenyan police reopened the case into Ms Wanjiru’s murder after her family expressed their distress over the lack of convictions for the killing.
The family of Ms Wanjiru said the arrest warrant is “incredibly welcome”, and acknowledging that they have “lived with Agnes’ death for over a decade”.
A spokesperson for the UK government said: “Our thoughts remain with the family of Agnes Wanjiru and we remain absolutely committed to helping them secure justice.
“We understand that the Kenyan director of public prosecutions has determined that a British national should face trial in relation to the murder of Ms Wanjiru in 2012.
“This is subject to ongoing legal proceedings and we will not comment further at this stage.”
Purkiss’s case is set for a mention hearing at a court in Kenya on October 21.
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