ARMY top brass have been accused of covering up the murder of a sex worker killed by a squaddie during a night of debauchery, witnesses have claimed.
The Sunday Times said fellow British soldiers reported the March 2012 killing of Agnes Wanjiru, 21, near a base in Kenya almost immediately, but were told to “shut up”.
Referring to the alleged killer from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment as “Soldier X,” the paper claimed he’s been named by four comrades, and a fifth on a WhatsApp group.
One of the men, known as "Solider Y" described being shown her body hidden in a septic tank.
"He took me to the tank and lifted it up, and I looked in and I just remember seeing her in there," he recalled.
"My heart sank. My mind just went blank. The only thing I could say to him was: ‘I’ll never forgive you for this’.”
Two months later after the squad had returned to the UK, Agnes' body was discovered.
But by this time the person suspected of killing Agnes was already an open secret, soldiers have claimed.
According to Solider Y, what happened had been a cover-up by the army's top brass.
“I told the proper people," he said. "Everyone. All the lads, all the senior command that were there.
"I went to higher up, hierarchy, people that should have dealt with it. I got called a liar. They basically just said, ‘Shut up and get out.’
“Everyone knows [what Soldier X did]. How can everybody know, and he [Soldier X] is still a free man?”
Soldier Y said he would talk to the police and added: “I’ll say something if I have to. I’d speak to British, civilian police. I’d go on record and say he did it.
"If it was to go to court, I’ll stand up and say he f***ing did it. If I had to go to jail as well, to get him there, so be it.”
A Kenyan coroner ruled that the 21-year-old mother of one, was “murdered by British soldiers”.
She had been stabbed and beaten.
Another soldier, Soldier Z, told the paper that he heard a senior officer openly referring to the alleged killer as “the one that killed the prostitute in Kenya”.
He added that the murder “appeared to get covered up from the very start”.
SOLDIER X DENIAL
The Sunday Times said that Solider X is married and lives in a small English town.
He denied any involvement in the murder of Wanjiru and told the paper: “Honestly, I’m not surprised because there were rumours in my battalion.
"If you speak to people in my battalion they’ll say that. But it’s a rumour.
"There was a rumour going around for a long time, which actually was borderline bullying. But there’s nothing you can do when you’re in the military.
"There’s a lot of idiots, but there’s no real truth in it.” He said he did not report this alleged bullying.
When asked whether he could remember being at the hotel that night, he said: “I’m not, obviously not going to talk about it. I would want a lawyer with me to talk about anything.”
He said he was no longer in touch with many colleagues from his time in Kenya.
He described many of those he served with as “lads off a council estate”, adding: “Honestly, I think I’m from a different walk of life. Joining the army for me was an eye-opener, I’d never experienced people like that.”
Asked if he had been questioned over the murder, he said: “Honestly, like, never questioned or anything.
“Nobody’s ever asked me anything about it, because why would they?”
MURDER INQUIRY LAUNCHED
A new murder inquiry has been launched by the Royal Military Police in light of the claims made by Soldier Y and the four other squaddies.
Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said to be speaking to the Kenyan authorities, the Sunday Times reported.
Agnes was found stabbed to death at the Lions Court Hotel nine years ago.
At the time witnesses told cops they saw Agnes – a sex worker with a five-month-old daughter -leaving the hotel bar with a British soldier.
It's claimed they entered a room and a porter heard a "fierce row", The Sunday Times reports.
Her body was found in a septic tank in the hotel grounds two months later, by which time the soldiers had left Kenya.
Agnes's sister, Rose Wanyua Wanjiku, 48, told The Sunday Times: "She was in the company of some British soldiers. I believe they were responsible.
"Her case has been completely overlooked. From the first day, we reported the case at the police station the police did nothing until her body was accidentally removed from a septic tank"
She added: "The Kenyan police should have forced the British Army to produce the culprits to face the law.”
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available every day from 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
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