Nigerian Olubunmi Abodunde, who killed his wife,Taiwo with a skateboard and attributed his loss of control to medication, has been sentenced to life in prison by the United Kingdom Court.
Persecondnews reports that Abodunde, 48, a resident of Exning Road in Newmarket, Suffolk, killed his wife on November 28, 2023.
He admitted to killing Taiwo, who suffered “catastrophic brain injuries.”
Ipswich Crown Court heard “a degree of ferocity” was involved in her death at the couple’s family home in Exning Road.
Abodunde must spend a minimum of 17 years in prison before he can be eligible for parole.
On November 27, the day before Mrs. Abodunde’s death, the court heard that the couple had a domestic incident, leading to Abodunde’s arrest.
As part of bail conditions, he had been ordered not to contact his spouse.
The following morning, Abodunde travelled to the family home to retrieve a mobile phone at about 09:00 BST, the court heard.
Mrs. Abodunde, a mother of three, had been working as a health care assistant overnight and was on her way back home.
Prosecutor Stephen Spence KC told the court that Abodunde was aware of his wife’s shift duty pattern, and CCTV showed she had arrived back at about 09:12.
“Only the defendant now knows what happened,” Mr. Spence added.
Two officers visited the property at about 09:20 to speak with Mrs. Abodunde about the domestic incident from the previous day, according to the court.
“The officers repeatedly knocked on the door and notified them of their presence but got no response or heard any calls for help,” Mr. Spence told the court.
However, between 40 and 50 “thuds” had been heard, believed to be Abodunde attacking his wife.
Senior police officials gave the officers clearance to enter the property at 9:45, they told the court.
“When they entered the front door, they immediately found the lifeless body of Mrs. Abodunde with her skull smashed in,” Mr. Spence said.
A postmortem examination found Mrs. Abodunde had suffered “catastrophic brain injuries.”.
She also had injuries that were consistent with her body being “stamped on” as well as being hit with a skateboard.
This had been found on the property, covered in blood and fragments of a skull. They informed the court that the victim had also suffered strangulation.
The defendant was sobbing from the dock as Mr. Spence addressed the court.
Police forced their way into the home after hearing bangs
Nneka Akudolu KC, defending Abodunde, said there was “no other explanation as to why that level of violence was exhibited” other than medication her client was taking at the time of the murder.
She said this medication led him to “completely lose control with tragic and lifelong consequences for those who loved,” Ms. Akudolu.
Ibuprofen, vitamins, and steroids were found in Abodunde’s blood following the incident, the court was told.
“While it does appear that medication was taken, there would be no medical evidence to support that he was medicated with anything that would excuse or cause him to act in the way that he did,” Mr. Spence said.
During mitigation, Judge Martyn Levett said it was also “surprising” why Abodunde had taken 30 minutes to find the mobile phone once in the house.
“It seems to me that he was waiting for confrontation,” he told the court. “There is no debate that there was not going to be confrontation, in my view.”
Ms. Akudolu said Abodunde “was a very well-respected man” both here in the UK and in Nigeria, where the couple had previously moved.
He had been a local councillor in Nigeria and had a local street in the country named after him.
The court heard the couple had a “history of frequent disputes over bills and money,” with some “low-level violence” involved.
Ms. Akudolu told the court that “not a day will go by that [Abodunde] does not regret the misery” that he has caused.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Levett described Mrs. Abodunde’s killing as “ruthless, violent, savage, and heartless.”
He told the court that Abodunde had lied to officers, telling them his wife had attempted to attack him with a knife the day before he murdered her.
Abodunde also claimed she had tried to beat him, but no evidence was found to substantiate this, the court was told.
Abodunde was visible from the dock, his head in his hands, sobbing as Judge Levett spoke.
Judge Levett said there had been “no self-defence at all” on Abodunde’s part, and he had heard “no remorse other than sobs from the dock.”.
Following the murder, Suffolk Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to previous contact with the couple.
It said earlier this month that two officers were advised they were being investigated for gross misconduct over potential breaches of the standards of professional behaviour.
Another officer is under investigation for breaches amounting to misconduct.
An IOPC spokesman said: “This does not mean disciplinary proceedings will necessarily follow. Our investigation remains ongoing.”
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