A long road to finding the truth on Agnes Wanjiru
It is four years since our reporter David Collins first revealed the possible involvement of British servicemen in the death of a young mother in Kenya. This weekend he reports that detectives in Nairobi have recommended one charge of murder against a British soldier after more than 20 others came forward to give evidence.
Agnes Wanjiru, a hairdresser, was last seen going to a bedroom with a British soldier at the Lions Court Inn Hotel in Nanyuki, a dustbowl town three hours north of Nairobi. Her body was found in June 2012. She had been stabbed in the chest and then stuffed into a septic tank, possibly still alive.
Comrades of the suspected killer said that army officers and military police failed to act on claims that a murder had taken place during a drinking binge at the hotel. In 2019 a Kenyan judge ruled that on the balance of probabilities a British soldier was responsible for Wanjiru's death.
• Agnes Wanjiru killing: soldier may be extradited as 20 troops come forward
Two years later we published our first investigation into the events of March 31, 2012. Our reporting prompted an individual we have called Soldier Y to make a witness statement to military police in which he identified a former colleague, Soldier X, who he says showed him Wanjiru's body on the night of the murder. This reignited the inquiry and, although the wheels of justice have ground slowly for Wanjiru's family, Britain's defence secretary, John Healey, has commendably vowed to help resolve the case.
The Kenyan director of public prosecutions is reviewing the case file to decide on a murder charge. Prosecutors would then have to apply for the suspect, who is living in Britain, to be extradited for trial. If they do, the UK should surrender him without hesitation.
It is a tribute to the power of investigative journalism that the horrific story, for so long shrouded in uncertainty and cover-up, is approaching this moment of clarity. If the Kenyan authorities ask for him, the army and the Ministry of Defence should hand over their man.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Mystery as man found dead on major motorway with cops probing ‘unexplained' tragedy
A MAN has been found dead on a major motorway as police investigated the "unexplained" tragedy. Emergency crews rushed to the scene on the M90 northbound near the junction for Rosyth, Fife, around 8.15pm on June 21. The man was sadly pronounced dead not long after. Police had shut the motorway in both directions but it was later reopened at 10.45pm. Cops are treating the man's death as unexplained as they launch their investigation. 1 is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
The recovered Bayesian superyacht transferred to Sicilian port on its final journey
A British-flagged luxury superyacht that sank off Sicily last year, killing U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others, started its final trip to the Sicilian port of Termini Imerese on Sunday, a day after recovery crews completed the complex operation to bring it ashore. The white top and blue hull of the 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian, covered with algae and mud, was kept elevated by the yellow floating crane barge off the port of Porticello, before starting its transfer to Termini Imerese, where a special steel cradle was waiting. The vessel will be made available for investigators for further examinations to help determine the cause of the sinking. The Bayesian sank Aug. 19 off Porticello, near Palermo, during a violent storm as Lynch was treating friends to a cruise to celebrate his acquittal two months earlier in the U.S. on fraud charges. Lynch, his daughter and five others died. Fifteen people survived, including the captain and all crew members except the chef. Italian authorities are conducting a full criminal investigation. The vessel was slowly raised from the seabed 50 meters (165 feet) deep over three days to allow the steel lifting straps, slings and harnesses to be secured under the keel. The Bayesian is missing its 72-meter (236-foot) mast, which was cut off and left on the seabed for future removal. The mast had to be detached to allow the hull to be brought to a nearly upright position that would allow the craft to be raised. British investigators said in an interim report issued last month that the yacht was knocked over by 'extreme wind' and couldn't recover. The report said the crew of the Bayesian had chosen the site where it sank as shelter from forecast thunderstorms. Wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (81 mph) at the time of the sinking and 'violently' knocked the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Police appeal after motorcyclist killed in Aberdeenshire crash
A motorcyclist has died following a crash on a road in 59-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene on the B966 at Cairnton of Balbengo after the crash involving a blue and white Suzuki GSXR 750 bike on Saturday road between Fettercairn in Aberdeenshire and Edzell in Angus was closed from about 18:10 on Saturday until 00:10 on have launched an appeal for information and have asked any drivers in the area with dash-cam footage to come forward. Sgt Dave Cooper said: "Our thoughts are with the family of the man who died and an investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances."We would also like to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time and may have seen what happened or have dash-cam footage that could help."
