A man who killed his former partner after ambushing her outside her Nottingham home has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years.
Adedapo Adegbola, 40, pleaded guilty to murdering Steph Irons, 23, at Nottingham Crown Court. The university student was stabbed to death on 21 October last year after the pair’s relationship ended.
Colleagues raised the alarm after receiving “concerning messages” sent from Steph’s phone, prompting emergency services to attend her address in Mapperly. Crews arrived at approximately 10.07pm to discover the 23-year-old with knife wounds in her living room. She was declared dead at the scene.
The court heard Adegbola and Steph had met as co-workers before entering a relationship that had recently ended. He had become “obsessed” with his former partner and planned the killing, purchasing two knives online before travelling to her home by taxi.
Adegbola waited outside the property and ambushed Steph as she took the bins out, forcing his way inside. He remained at the address for one hour and 50 minutes before fleeing, during which time he used her phone to send screenshots of sexually explicit messages to her colleagues.
After leaving the scene, Adegbola discarded evidence throughout the streets of Mapperley and Carlton, including blood-stained trainers and a jumper. Nottinghamshire Police recovered the items as part of their investigation.
The killer travelled through Mansfield, Worksop, Sheffield and Hull before eventually handing himself into police. During interviews with officers, he answered “no comment” to questions, but investigators were able to piece together his movements before and after the murder through the evidence trail he left behind.
Detective Inspector Stuart Barson, lead investigator, stated Adegbola “made no attempt to call for an ambulance, and was concerned only with getting away from the scene and attempting to dispose of vital evidence.”
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Steph’s mother said: “I have no words to say how broken I am to have lost her in such a horrific way.”
Detective Inspector Barson described the case as tragic, stating: “A caring and compassionate young woman was taken away in horrific circumstances.” He thanked Steph’s family for the “incredible strength that they have shown through this process” and expressed hope the outcome would assist them “in coming to terms with such a dreadful loss.”
Adegbola will serve a minimum of 25 years before being considered for parole. The life sentence was handed down at Nottingham Crown Court following his guilty plea to murder.
