Homeless Migrant Jailed for Care Home Confrontation
A 57-year-old homeless Nigerian migrant has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment after a terrifying incident in a quiet Surrey village, where he followed a woman into a care home and exposed himself. Olubenga Akinpelu was handed the sentence at Guildford Crown Court on Monday after admitting to exposure, affray, and possession of an offensive weapon.
Early Morning Attack in Sleepy Village
The court heard that the incident occurred at around 6:50am on September 1. The first victim, a woman walking to her job at a local care home near a railway station, was approached by Akinpelu. He tried to speak to her while she was wearing headphones. When she did not respond and continued walking, he pursued her down an alleyway leading to the care home.
Prosecutor Amelia Norman told the court the woman felt "trapped" when she noticed Akinpelu was holding a broken glass bottle by the neck, as if he intended to use it. When she threatened to call the police, he reportedly replied, "go ahead and call the police."
The quick-thinking victim managed to escape by tricking Akinpelu, telling him the police were behind him. As he turned to look, she ran past him towards the care home entrance. She heard glass shatter as Akinpelu threw the bottle at her.
Exposure and Arrest at the Care Home
Akinpelu followed the woman through the care home door. A second person arriving by taxi witnessed the woman running and saw the defendant with his trousers undone and his penis exposed. Akinpelu reportedly said, "oh, I am sorry, I must be naked," before doing up his trousers but continuing to shout.
When police arrived and took him into custody, Akinpelu made disturbing comments to officers, stating "she had run away" and "I want to f*** her and get locked up." He also made obscene gestures towards female police officers until other officers intervened.
In a police interview, Akinpelu denied all offences, suggesting "it could have been anyone on the CCTV." The court was told he has one previous conviction for criminal damage from September 2023.
Sentencing and Background
Defence barrister Alex Crichton-Miller explained that Akinpelu, originally from Nigeria, had been in the UK for about 20 years but had struggled to find work and had been effectively homeless for four years. A father of three, he had been staying in east London with some homeless assistance.
Judge Jonathan Black questioned how Akinpelu ended up in the Surrey village. The defendant claimed he was there by mistake and was trying to find out where he was. The judge noted that while Akinpelu had admitted affray and possession of a weapon in magistrates court, he had not initially pleaded guilty to exposure.
In addition to the 12-month jail term, Judge Black ordered Akinpelu to sign the sex offenders register for seven years and imposed a seven-year sexual harm prevention order.
