A man without a home who killed a kind woman who offered him shelter in her £1.3 million residence has been given a prison sentence. Apapale Adoum, aged 39, took the life of Victoria Adams, aged 37, using a mallet in her apartment in Hammersmith, located in west London, on February 9. Adoum admitted to the murder in August at the Old Bailey and was detained in custody.
Today, Adoum was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years to serve. During the sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Nigel Lickley KC addressed Adoum, stating, “Victoria Adams was killed in her own home. She had taken you in and provided you with shelter.”
Judge Lickley described how Adoum had abused the kindness of Victoria Adams, armed himself with a hammer, and carried out a brutal attack when she asked him to leave. The judge mentioned that Ms. Adams’ family was left shocked and struggling to comprehend the tragic event.
In a statement presented to the court, Ms. Adams’s aunt, Cathy Adams, expressed, “Vicky was very trusting, excessively generous, caring, and full of fun. She tried to reciprocate the kindness she had received from others and tragically paid the ultimate price for it.”
Ms. Adams suffered multiple injuries to the head from the assault. She was found in her bedroom with a bag over her head and a pillow covering it, after the police were alerted to a potential break-in at her home on Coulter Road.
The neighborhood was deeply shocked by the incident, with residents reporting hearing screams before the discovery of Ms. Adams’s body. A local resident, Ellie Scot, described the incident as “shocking,” emphasizing the typically peaceful nature of the area.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers responded to an attempt to break into a flat on Coulter Road, leading to the discovery of the deceased woman.