Victim’s family angry over UK extradition delay

The family of a Kenyan woman allegedly murdered by a British soldier is furious after the suspect’s extradition case was delayed by another six months. The Citizen reports that Agnes Wanjiru (21) died in 2012 after socialising with British soldiers at a hotel in Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya where Britain maintains a permanent military base. Her body was found in a septic tank. Robert Purkiss was arrested in the UK last year and his extradition hearing was set for 16 November. However, that was pushed back without explanation to 24 May, the victim’s family said yesterday. It came as a huge blow for Wanjiru’s family, who had held a fundraising drive to pay for flights to London to attend the hearing. They only learned of the postponement ‘by chance’, while attempting to update a document at the British Embassy in Kenya. The victim’s sister, Esther Muchiri, said the court had confirmed the postponement to the family’s lawyers in Britain and the reasons would be communicated to them next week.

Full report in The Citizen