British authorities have arrested ex-soldier Robert James Purkiss, 38, who was wanted by Kenya for a murder in 2012, the National Crime Agency (NCA), which is responsible for the arrest, announced on Friday, and the agency has already begun extradition proceedings.
Robert James Purkis was arrested by specialist investigators from the NCA’s National Extradition Unit in the town of Tidworth, Wiltshire, last Thursday.
The ex-soldier appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court this Friday to begin extradition proceedings to Kenya. During the hearing, the court ordered him to be held in preventive detention until his legal situation is resolved.
Mr Purkis will be required to reappear in the same court on November 14, when judicial proceedings will continue.
No details about the proceedings have been released so far, but British authorities have confirmed they are working with the Kenyan government to uncover facts related to crimes allegedly committed in 2012.
The operation was carried out following a court order last September, within the framework of an investigation that Kenyan authorities have kept open for more than a decade.
Kenya’s Attorney General’s Office subsequently said that evidence collected implicated the recently detained man in the murder, and that it had therefore requested an arrest warrant to “pave the way for extradition proceedings.” Judge Alexander Muteti granted the request, arguing that murder was an extraditable offense and there were probable cause to bring murder charges against the defendant.
The victim, Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old mother of a four-month-old infant, disappeared in March 2012 after she was seen leaving a bar with British soldiers. Almost three months later, her body was discovered in the hotel’s sewage. His case sparked national outrage and calls for accountability.
Two years ago, Kenya’s parliament approved a defense cooperation agreement with Britain, which included an amendment allowing British soldiers to prosecute crimes against Kenyan nationals.
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