Adedapo Adegbola, a Nigerian living in the United Kingdom, has pleaded guilty to the murder of his British ex-girlfriend after stabbing her to death and leaving the body in a pool of blood to escape.

Mr Adegbola, 40, admitted to the murder of Steph Irons at the Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, asserting both of them were co-workers before the professional relationship evolved into a romantic one.

The relationship turned sour, and both parties called it quits. On October 21, 2025, Mr Adegbola visited Ms Irons at her Westdale Lane West residence in Mapperley and stabbed her.

It remained unclear what transpired that led to the stab wounds given that Mr Adegbola has refused to speak with law enforcement.

Mr Adegbola, who was more concerned about escaping, failed to call emergency services, to treat Ms Iron’s stabbed wounds. He left a blood-stained sneakers on the streets, materials that were later traced to him.

“Following the attack on Miss Irons, Adegbola made no attempt to call for an ambulance, and was concerned only with getting away from the scene and attempting to dispose of vital evidence,” said Detective Inspector Stuart Barson, the officer handling the case

While neighbours could not place the exact time she was stabbed, her bleeding body was discovered in the apartment’s living room around 10 p.m. and paramedics declared her dead briefly after arriving to examine her.

Mr Adegbola turned himself in at Oxclose Police Station but has failed to cooperate during interrogation. All questions from detectives investigating the case were left unanswered.

“Although he initially turned himself in, he went on to provide no comments to police interviews,” Mr Stuart said. “The evidence compiled against him, though, has left the defendant with no choice but to plead guilty today.”

Officers collected sufficient evidence using the blood stains on his sneakers, CCTV footage, testimonies from witnesses and other digital materials to present a solid case against Mr Adegbola at the Nottingham Crown Court where he was charged with murder.

Presented with the overwhelming evidence in court, Mr Adegbola admitted to murder on Monday. His sentencing has been scheduled for February 5.

Ms Irons held both bachelors and master’s degrees in clinical psychology and was in the process of applying for a doctorate degree, the detective said.

Mr Stuart condoled with Ms Irons’ family saying “I hope that this outcome assists Steph’s family in coming to terms with such a dreadful loss.”