A 40-year-old man, Adedapo Adegbola, has received a life sentence for stabbing his former girlfriend, 23-year-old university student Steph Irons, to death in Nottingham, England, according to reports by The Irish Sun and Nottinghamshire Police.

Adegbola killed Irons at her Mapperley home on October 21, 2025, after their short-lived relationship ended. Nottingham Crown Court heard that Adegbola became fixated on Irons after the breakup and planned the attack, buying two knives online and travelling to her home by taxi.

The court was told that Adegbola ambushed Irons as she stepped outside, forcing his way into the house and carrying out the fatal attack. Irons’ body was discovered in the living room with multiple stab wounds, and Adegbola fled, discarding evidence along the way.

Detectives reconstructed Adegbola’s movements, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years after pleading guilty to murder.

Detective Inspector Stuart Barson described Irons as a “caring and compassionate young woman” whose life was taken in “horrific circumstances”. Irons’ mother described the loss as devastating, saying she was broken by her daughter’s death.