In a disturbing revelation, a court disclosed that the remains of a young mother, allegedly murdered by a former British soldier, were discovered in an advanced state of decomposition within a septic tank.
The accused, Robert James Purkiss, appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court facing charges of killing Agnes Wanjiru, 21, during a military training session in Nanyuki, Kenya, back in 2012. Purkiss, along with several others, was part of a British Army deployment to Kenya for a six-week exercise from February to April that year, which included a brief period of leave.
According to prosecutors, Ms. Wanjiru was last seen leaving a hotel with a soldier during their off days, before her body was found in a state of decomposition inside a septic tank.
During the court proceedings, Joel Smith KC alleged that when soldiers, including Purkiss, had free time during the exercise, they would frequent the town, indulge in heavy drinking, and engage in transactions with local women. Smith further accused Purkiss of the murder, claiming that fellow soldiers had confessed to the military police and even made light-hearted remarks about the incident on Facebook.
Summarizing the allegations, Smith stated that the events took place between February and April 2012, while the soldiers were in Nanyuki, Kenya, for training. He highlighted that the soldiers, including the defendant, had two days off on March 31 and April 1 before returning to the UK.
Smith mentioned that on the evening of March 31, 2012, some soldiers, including Purkiss, went out to town for heavy drinking, coinciding with Ms. Wanjiru’s outing with friends. The group ended up at the Lions Court Hotel, where some soldiers had booked accommodations.
According to Smith, Ms. Wanjiru, who had left her infant daughter with a friend, crossed paths with the soldiers at the hotel. Smith recounted that the last sighting of Ms. Wanjiru was her departure from the hotel with a soldier, as she expressed her intentions in her local language to provide for her daughter. Sadly, she was never seen alive again.
Two months later, Ms. Wanjiru’s decomposed body was discovered in a septic tank on the hotel premises. Smith informed the court that a post-mortem examination revealed a 2cm stab wound in her lower abdomen and a collapsed lung. Purkiss is contesting extradition to Kenya on the murder charge, vehemently denying any involvement.
The trial is ongoing.
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