A Nigerian man based in the United Kingdom, Adedapo Adegbola, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his former girlfriend, Stephanie Irons, in a killing prosecutors described as premeditated and driven by obsession.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that Adegbola, 31, fatally stabbed the 23-year-old victim multiple times at her home in Mapperley, Nottinghamshire, on October 21. The court was told he had purchased two knives days earlier and traveled to her residence with the intent to kill her after she ended their brief relationship.
Judge Nirmal Shant KC noted that Adegbola’s “controlling behavior” led Irons to break off the relationship, but he “was not prepared to accept that.” After stabbing Irons, Adegbola remained at the scene before fleeing with her phone and keys. He later disposed of the weapon and his clothing, then handed himself in to police in Hull the following day.
In January, Adegbola pleaded guilty to murder and on Thursday was ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years before being considered for parole.
During sentencing, Irons’ mother delivered an emotional statement describing her daughter as a “compassionate and caring” person who “lit up the room.” She added, “I have no words to say how broken I am to have lost her in such a horrific way.”
Prosecutor Peter Joyce KC revealed that after the attack, Adegboa sent sexually explicit messages from Irons’ phone to her colleagues, “probably after he had killed her.”
In a related development, Nottinghamshire Police have charged 40-year-old Mary Onolunosen with assisting an offender. She is scheduled to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on March 6.
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