A homeless man who battered a woman to death with a mallet just days after she let him stay at her flat in west London has been pictured.
Apapale Adoum, 39, pleaded guilty to the murder of Victoria Adams, 37, at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.
The mother-of-three was found dead at her home in Hammersmith on February 9, after police were called to a report of a man attempting to break into a property in Coulter Road.
Officers arrived and found Ms Adams face down in a bedroom with a bin bag over her head, which was covered by a pillow.
She suffered at least 10 injuries to the back and side of her head from being struck with a blunt object, said to be a mallet, found with her blood and DNA on it.
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Ms Adams had invited Adoum to stay with her but later wrote a note asking him to leave.
Adoum was arrested at the scene before he was initially charged with two counts of possession of an offensive weapon.
He pleaded guilty to the offences at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, February 11 and was sentenced to 42 weeks’ imprisonment.
Following a Met investigation in which forensic analysis linked Adoum to Ms Adams' death, he was re-arrested on June 5 on suspicion of murder. He was charged the following day.
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Adoum will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, October 24.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Denby, who led the investigation, said: “I hope that Adoum’s admission of guilt is a small reprieve for Victoria’s family and friends.
“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.”
