British ex-soldier arrested over alleged murder denied bail

A former British soldier who is facing extradition to Kenya in connection with the death of a young mother while on deployment has been denied bail.

Robert James Purkiss, 38, from Tidworth near Salisbury, Wiltshire, appeared at Westminster Magistrates earlier following his arrest on 6 November.

The court heard he told at least one army colleague how he had killed Agnes Wanjiru during a night out at a hotel near his military training camp in March 2012.

The 21-year-old, who had a five-month old baby, was discovered in a septic tank near the hotel in the town of Nanyuki, three months after she had gone missing.

Mr Purkiss' lawyers previously told the court that he "vehemently denies" murder and intended to contest the extradition.

Mr Purkiss was arrested by specialist officers from the National Crime Agency's (NCA) National Extradition Unit after a warrant was issued in September.

On the night she was killed, she had reportedly been at a bar with friends where British soldiers were also present.

An inquest into her death was opened in 2018 following pressure from Ms Wanjiru's family, as well as Kenyan rights groups and feminists.

In 2019, it concluded that Ms Wanjiru had been unlawfully killed by one or two British soldiers and that she had suffered stab wounds to the chest and abdomen.

This article originally appeared on BBC News.