A 48-year-old Nigerian man identified as Olubunmi Abodunde, who reportedly beat his wife to death with their son’s skateboard in the United Kingdom (UK), has been handed a life sentence.
Abodunde was said to have beaten Taiwo to death last year as police waited outside the apartment in Suffolk County, UK, for permission from superiors.
When police finally entered the apartment some 25 minutes later, they found Taiwo, 41, on the floor with her “skull smashed in”.
Martyn Levett, presiding judge at the Ipswich Crown Court, sentenced the 48-year-old to life imprisonment on May 9.
Levett described the killing of the mother of three as “ ferocious, ruthless, cold-blooded, callous and savage”.
The judge added that she was so badly injured that a pathologist was unable to estimate the number of blows inflicted on her.
Levett noted that following the murder, Abodunde had said very little about what had happened and had answered “no comment” during police interviews.
“The simple fact is that you strangled your wife and then beat her to death and used one of the children’s skateboards to batter her skull,” Levett said.
The judge ordered Abodunde to serve a minimum of 17 years of a life sentence before he could be considered for release by the parole board.
Taiwo worked as a care home assistant in Cambridge. Her husband trained as a civil engineer but was unable to get a job in his profession.
He took shifts at Tesco, a supermarket; and Wickes, a home improvement retailer and garden centre.
The court was told there were arguments about money and bills between the couple.
After his arrest for the murder of his wife, Abodunde was taken to the hospital “because he appeared to have some sort of mental episode”.
Nneka Akudolu, Abodunde’s lawyer, said her client believed the medication he was taking at the time had affected his behaviour in some way.
Akudolu said he had no previous convictions and had killed his wife in a “sudden explosion of violence”.
She also said he had been well respected and had a local street named after him in Nigeria.
The explanations were not accepted by the prosecution.
