UK court jails Nigerian man for life over murder of ex-girlfriend

A Nigerian man based in the United Kingdom, Adedapo Adegbola, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his former girlfriend, 23-year-old Stephanie Irons, after she ended their relationship.

Adegbola received the sentence at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday and was ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years behind bars after pleading guilty to the charge last month.

The court heard that the pair had met as colleagues and were briefly involved in a relationship that later ended due to what the judge described as Adegbola’s controlling behaviour.

Prosecutors said he became fixated on Irons and planned the attack after she broke off the relationship.

On 21 October, Adegbola went to Irons’s home in Mapperley, Nottinghamshire, where she was killed.

He later fled the scene but turned himself in to police in Hull the following day.

During the sentencing, Irons’s family paid tribute to her, describing her as compassionate and kind-hearted.

Her mother told the court she was devastated by the loss, saying her daughter had a warm personality and always sought to make others happy.

Delivering judgment, Judge Nirmal Shant KC said Adegbola had refused to accept the end of the relationship, which ultimately led to the fatal incident.

Detective Inspector Stuart Barson praised the victim’s family for their strength throughout the investigation and court process.

In a related development, Nottinghamshire Police confirmed that a 40-year-old woman, Mary Onolunosen, has been charged with assisting an offender.

She is scheduled to appear before Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on March 6.