A former British soldier accused of murdering a Kenyan woman whose body was found in a septic tank in 2012 has spoken publicly, denying ever meeting her. Robert James Purkiss, 38, faces extradition to Kenya over the death of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in Nanyuki, near a British army training camp.
An inquest in 2018 concluded Wanjiru, a hairdresser and mother, was murdered by British soldiers after her half-naked body was discovered at the Lions Court hotel. Purkiss 'vehemently denies' the murder and has received Ministry of Defence funding for his defence, Westminster magistrates court heard.
The court was told a colleague saw Purkiss crying outside the hotel at the time of the alleged murder, and when asked why, he allegedly said: 'I've killed her.' In 2018, Purkiss allegedly responded with a 'smiling face emoji' after a colleague posted a picture outside the hotel with the comment 'if you know, you know', referencing the septic tank.
Purkiss, held on remand in London after being refused bail, told the Daily Mail: '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 only heard about the incident weeks later while on a military exercise in Canada, and denied booking the hotel room or being in it.
He added: 'Agnes was stabbed in the abdomen. She would have lost a lot of blood. If I killed her and dumped her body, there would have been blood over my clothes and hands. There was none.' Purkiss is due to appear in court for a further bail application hearing.
