Homeless Man Admits Brackenbury Village Murder

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Victoria Adams had offered him refuge after meeting at a shelter

Victoria Adams. Picture: Met Police. Coulter Road. Picture: Google Streetview

August 27, 2025

A homeless man has pleaded guilty to the murder of Victoria Adams, a 37-year-old woman who was found dead in her flat on Coulter Road just days after offering him shelter.

Apapale Adoum, 39, admitted to the killing at a hearing at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 26 August. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on 24 October. Judge Nigel Lickley KC confirmed that Adoum faces a mandatory life sentence.

Ms Adams was discovered face down in her bedroom on the night of Sunday, 9 February. Police had been called to the address from 10:13pm following reports of a man attempting to force entry into one of the flats.

Upon gaining access, officers found her body with a bin bag over her head, covered by a pillow. She had suffered at least ten blows to the back and side of her head, inflicted with a blunt object later identified as a mallet. The weapon was recovered at the scene and found to contain both her blood and DNA.

Adoum had met Ms Adams just three days earlier, on 6 February, while living in a homeless shelter. She had invited him to stay at her home, but later left a note asking him to leave. The prosecution stated that the attack occurred shortly after this request.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Denby, who led the investigation, said, “It is a tragedy that she was killed by Adoum after offering him a place to stay and showing him kindness during his time of need. Victoria deserved better. Adoum’s plea is testament to the officers who worked incredibly hard to build the evidence against him, leaving no doubt he was responsible for Victoria’s death.”

Following his arrest at the scene, Adoum was initially charged with two counts of possession of an offensive weapon. He pleaded guilty to those charges at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 11 February and was sentenced to 42 weeks’ imprisonment. A murder investigation was launched by the Metropolitan Police, and after extensive forensic analysis, Adoum was re-arrested on 5 June and charged with murder the following day.

The case has shocked residents of Brackenbury Village, where Ms Adams lived, and raised broader concerns about the risks faced by individuals who offer support to vulnerable people in crisis.

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