A man who murdered a young woman after she ended a brief relationship has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years.

Adedapo Adegbola, 40, fatally stabbed 23-year-old Steph Irons at her home in Mapperley, Nottinghamshire, on the evening of 21 October. Nottingham Crown Court heard that Adegbola, a social worker and former work colleague of Ms Irons, became controlling and obsessed after their relationship ended.

Emergency services were called to an address on Westdale Lane West at 10.07pm after Ms Irons’ colleagues raised the alarm, having received a series of concerning messages sent from her mobile phone. Paramedics found her in the living room with fatal knife injuries. She was pronounced dead shortly after 11pm.

A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Irons died from a knife wound to the neck. Defensive injuries were also found on her arms.

The court was told Adegbola had purchased two knives several days before the attack and travelled by taxi to Ms Irons’ home after work.

Prosecutors said he entered the property while she was inside and remained there for nearly two hours.

After the attack, Adegbola fled the scene, leaving behind a trail of discarded items including blood-stained clothing, Ms Irons’ house keys and her mobile phone. He travelled to Mansfield, then to Sheffield and Hull, before returning to Nottingham the following morning, where he handed himself in at Oxclose Lane Police Station.

Despite giving no comment during police interviews, detectives said they gathered sufficient evidence to charge him with murder. Adegbola later pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court in January.

Passing sentence, Judge Nirmal Shant KC said Adegbola had refused to accept the end of the relationship and described his actions as devastating.

“What you did was take the life of a young woman who was compassionate and accomplished,” the judge said. “She was in the prime of her life, and your actions took away her future.”

Ms Irons’ mother told the court she was “broken” by the loss of her daughter, describing Steph as compassionate, caring and someone who “lit up the room”.

In a statement released after sentencing, Ms Irons’ parents said:
“We have lost our beautiful daughter and shining light. Nothing will ever take away the pain caused by this senseless act. Our lives have changed forever.”

Detective Inspector Stuart Barson, who led the investigation, said the case was “truly shocking and tragic”.

“Our focus from the very start has been to get justice for Steph and her family,” he said. “Today’s sentence will not bring her back, but we hope it offers some comfort to those who loved her.”

Earlier this week, Nottinghamshire Police confirmed a 40-year-old woman had been charged with assisting an offender in connection with the case. She is due to appear before magistrates in March.

Commenting after the sentencing, Benjamin Kuti, also known as #OluomoOfDerby, who attended the hearing, said the case highlighted the dangers of controlling and obsessive behaviour.

“No one should lose their life for choosing to walk away from a relationship,” he said.