Homeless man admits mallet attack murder of woman

A homeless man accused of battering a woman to death with a mallet days after she took him in has pleaded guilty to her murder.

Victoria Adams, 37, was found dead at her flat in Hammersmith, west London, on February 9 after police were called to a report of a man attempting to break in to the property in Coulter Road.

She was found face down in a bedroom with a black bin bag over her head which was covered by a pillow.

Ms Adams had suffered at least 10 separate injuries to the back and side of the head from being struck with a blunt object, said to be a mallet found with her blood and DNA on it.

Her attacker, Apapale Adoum, 39, who was arrested at the scene, had met her on February 6 when he was living in a homeless shelter.

She had invited him to stay with her but later wrote a note to ask him to leave.

On Tuesday, Adoum appeared at the Old Bailey and pleaded guilty to murder.

Adjourning sentencing, Judge Nigel Lickley KC told the defendant: “The sentence for murder is a life sentence and that is what I will pass on October 24.”

The defendant was remanded into custody.