A UK court has denied bail to a former British soldier, Robert James Purkiss, who faces murder charges in connection with the death of Agnes Wanjiru, who was found dead in a septic tank 13 years ago in Nanyuki.
Purkiss had offered to pay £15,000 (Ksh2,552,397) as a security fee for his release, but a judge from the Westminster Magistrates’ Court denied his request.
The judge said that if the soldier is granted bail and released, he is likely to also harm another person, either mentally or physically.
"I agree with the Kenyan Authorities that there is a significant risk that if I release you, you could cause harm to another, either physically or mentally," the judge said.
The former soldier was arrested on November 7 by officers from the National Crime Agency's (NCA) National Extradition Unit after a warrant of arrest was issued in September.
The 38-year-old Purkiss is accused of killing Wanjiru, who was 21 years old at the time and was last seen in March 2012, leaving a hotel bar in Nanyuki with British soldiers.
After his arrest, he appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 7 to contest his extradition to Kenya.
During the case hearing, prosecutor John Smith claimed that the former soldier had confessed to fellow soldiers that he had killed Wanjiru.
“When he was asked why he was crying, the defendant said, ‘I have killed her," Smith told the court.
Another soldier told the court that Purkiss later described the incident as sex that went wrong and allegedly led a colleague to the septic tank where Wanjiru’s body was hidden.
During his court hearing, Purkiss's lawyer said that he "vehemently denies" the murder charges and that he will contest his extradition to Kenya.
After his arrest, the soldier told British media that he was innocent, and he did not believe that he had ever met Wanjiru.
A post-mortem report done years ago indicated that Wanjiru had been beaten and stabbed and may have been still alive when she was dumped in the tank.
