A man who killed his former girlfriend in a brutal knife attack in South Ealing has today, Wednesday 31 May, been jailed at Kingston Crown Court.
Anna Jedrkowiak died after being found with multiple stab injuries in Roberts Alley, off Church Gardens, at approximately 00:10hrs on Tuesday, 17 May 2022.
The 21-year-old, who was known to friends and family as Ania, had finished work at a restaurant in Ealing and was walking home with a friend when she was victim to the premeditated attack by her former boyfriend Dennis Akpomedaye.
Akpomedaye was found guilty of her murder on Thursday, 25 May. HHJ Shetty passed a life sentence with a minimum term of 29 years, minus term on remand.
He was arrested within 22 hours of her murder as a result of fast time CCTV enquiries which tracked his movements, leading to recovery of evidence and DNA.
The investigation was led by the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, and a combination of CCTV assessment and urgent enquires at the scene and surrounding areas to piece together his movements post attack, resulted in officers being sent to Victoria coach station to locate and arrest him.
After his arrest, further investigation also brought to light the obsessive nature of Akpomedaye’s actions and revealed a man who was in debt, without a job and unable to accept the end of a relationship.
Anna’s family paid tribute to her by saying:
“Ania was such a kind, gentle soul: she would never hurt anyone or be mean in any way.
“She was thoughtful and loving, and everyone who met her fell in love with her. She was brilliantly gifted, especially in music and art, but also so determined and hardworking – she would have gone on to succeed in anything she did.
“She was very smart, tenacious and ambitious, but also very humble.
“She was destined for great things.”
At conviction, HHJ Shetty praised the professionalism and dedication of the work of the investigation team who he said, had left no stone unturned.
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, the senior investigating officer, said: “Anna’s life was taken by someone who is cowardly but extremely dangerous.
“Anna was scared of him and attempted to end the relationship. When she did this, he said to her “We will be together no matter what … I will find you”.
“She had moved away to start what should have been an exciting new life in London but now will never be able to fulfil that promise, and her family will never see her again.
“It was moving that so many of her family, university and work friends attended a vigil in her honour during the trial.
“My thoughts and sympathies remain with the family and friends of Anna, both in the UK and in Poland, who will never get over the tragic circumstances surrounding her death.
“Even in the context of a murder investigation, the ferocity with which she was attacked was extreme, and this individual belongs in prison where he cannot harm another woman.”
A post-mortem examination carried out on Thursday, 19 May confirmed Anna died from multiple stab injuries.
Following the attack, detectives were quickly able to build a picture of Akpomedaye’s movements using CCTV, starting with his arrival by coach at 18:34hrs on 15 May, at London Victoria, from his home in Newport.
As soon as he got to London, he travelled by tube to Ealing, arriving around an hour later and from there set out to track down Anna by going straight to the restaurant she worked in. She was not at work that evening, and Akpomedaye could be seen pacing back and forth in front of the restaurant with his hood up and his face covered by a scarf.
That same evening, detectives were able to show via telephone records that Akpomedaye had connected to telephone masts in the vicinity of Anna’s address, supporting CCTV evidence that from her place of work, he went straight to her home in Stirling Place, W5.
CCTV also showed that Akpomedaye retuned again to her place of work and then spent much of the following hours riding buses in the Ealing area.
The following day, Monday 16 May, Anna arrived for her restaurant shift just before 17:00hrs, with Akpomedaye getting to Ealing Broadway station around an hour later.
It was just before 20:00hrs that he bought a knife for £4.99 from a local shop on New Broadway and was captured on CCTV, again pacing back and forth in the area near to the Anna’s place of work.
She left with her friend at 23:40hrs and it was shortly after this that they were followed by Akpomedaye who was wearing a balaclava. He came towards them with the knife and fatally attacked Anna, before running from the scene.
CCTV and telephone records were then key to placing Akpomedaye near to the scene and locating the murder weapon in Round Pond in Gunnersbury Park on Wednesday, 18 May. The knife was forensically examined and found to have bloodstains which were later matched to Akpomedaye and Anna. Also found in the pond were items including two mobile phones belonging to Anna and Akpomedaye. and a photo frame with a picture of them together.
Further CCTV investigation captured the moment at 05:45hrs on Tuesday 17 May, when Akpomedaye approached an ambulance driver who had stopped at a petrol garage close to Gunnersbury Park. He asked for help with an open wound to his fingers, which he said had been caused by a pitbull dog. Akpomedaye was referred that day to a hospital in London and CCTV showed him on a bus without the black rucksack that he had been carrying prior to the murder. This was later recovered by TfL’s lost property department and gave the forensic team the chance to match bloodstains to Akpomedaye. Inside the bag was the receipt for the murder weapon.
He was arrested at 21.50hrs at Victoria coach station on Tuesday 17 May, and further forensic examinations discovered DNA matches to Anna on his right shoe.
Dennis Akpomedaye, 29 (18.08.92), of Blewitt Street, Newport, was charged on the evening of Wednesday, 18 May 2022.
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