Akinwale Oluwafolajimi Oluwatope Arobieke (born 15 July 1961) is a British convicted criminal. Known locally in
North West England as Purple Aki, he is a tall bodybuilder who weighs .
According to the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'', Arobieke became known for "approaching younger males and striking up conversations about weight training, before touching and measuring their muscles, and then inviting them to
squat his body weight". His criminal activities were originally ruled as sexually motivated, a fact which was recognised in 2006 by
Liverpool Magistrates' Court
The Magistrates' Courts is a building on Dale Street, Liverpool used for magistrates' court hearings until 2015. It is a Grade II listed building designed by John Grey Weightman built between 1857 and 1859. Until the 1970s buildings in Great Cr ...
when
Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The service area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million. As of September 2017 the service has 3,484 police of ...
successfully applied to them for a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
However, this was lifted in May 2016,
and Arobieke has never been convicted of a sexual offence.
On 12 September 2016
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
published an online documentary about Arobieke called ''The Man Who Squeezes Muscles: Searching for Purple Aki''. Later that year, he made an allegation against the BBC of incitement to racial hatred, complaining to Merseyside Police that the documentary was racist and had demonised him.
[
]
Early life
Akinwale Oluwafolajimi Oluwatope Arobieke was born on 15 July 1961 at Crumpsall Hospital in Crumpsall
Crumpsall is an outer suburb and electoral ward of Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, bordered by Cheetham Hill, Blackley, Harpurhey, Broughton, and Prestwich. The population at the 2011 census was 15,959. Historically par ...
, Lancashire.[ His mother was a secretarial student of ]Nigerian
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
descent. His father's identity is unknown.[ He was placed in care at the age of six months, and spent some time in a ]Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children. As of 2013, it raised and spent around £200 million each year running around 900 local services, aimed at helping these same group ...
home in Llandudno. As an adult, he held several jobs such as a cleaner in the Mersey Tunnels
The Mersey Tunnels connect the city of Liverpool with Wirral, under the River Mersey. There are three tunnels: the Mersey Railway Tunnel (opened 1886), and two road tunnels, the Queensway Tunnel (opened 1934) and the Kingsway Tunnel (opened 1 ...
and as a messenger for Liverpool City Council.[
]
Criminal history
Manslaughter
On 15 June 1986, a 16-year-old from Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
named Gary Kelly was electrocuted at New Brighton railway station
New Brighton railway station serves the suburb of New Brighton in Wallasey Merseyside, England. It is situated at the end of the New Brighton branch of the Wirral Line west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Merseyrail network.
History
The st ...
. He was allegedly running away from Arobieke, who was convicted of manslaughter but successfully appealed against the conviction on the grounds that he had not acted unlawfully by "standing on the platform and looking into trains". In addition, Arobieke was awarded an estimated £35,000 compensation, due to alleged racial overtones in the prosecution case.[
]
Indecent assault and witness intimidation
Arobieke appeared in court on 22 November 2001, pleading not guilty to 50 counts of indecent assault
Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in some common law-based jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime and has significant overlap with offences referred to as sexual assault.
England and Wales
Indecent assault was a broa ...
and harassment against 14 teenage boys between February 1995 and September 2000. He was convicted of threatening behaviour and jailed for 30 months.
Released in 2003, Arobieke resumed his activities and was quickly arrested and charged.[ During the course of the trial, 123 people were interviewed by police, including one family who were forced into ]witness protection
Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...
as a result of threats from Arobieke. This led to Arobieke being additionally charged with witness intimidation
Witness tampering is the act of attempting to improperly influence, alter or prevent the testimony of witnesses within criminal or civil proceedings.
Witness tampering and reprisals against witnesses in organized crime cases have been a difficult ...
. On 15 December 2003, he was jailed for six years by Preston Crown Court
Preston Crown Court or more properly the Crown Court at Preston is a criminal court in Preston, Lancashire, England. The court is based on two sites in the city; Preston Combined Court Centre on Ringway and Sessions House on Lancaster Road. A firs ...
, pleading guilty to 15 counts of harassment and witness intimidation.[ A further 61 counts, mostly of indecent assault, were left on file.][ When sentencing Arobieke, judge Edward Slinger said, "You are a danger to young men and your behaviour is both strange and obsessive". After the case, Detective Superintendent Mike Dale said, "Over the years, Akinwale Arobieke has been persistent in his pursuit and harassment of a number of young men, instilling fear into them. We are pleased with the sentencing. Most importantly it's to the credit of the witnesses, who despite their fears and apprehensions, have remained steadfast and determined to see justice done and this man prosecuted to stop him from making other people's lives a misery".
]
Muscle touch ban
Arobieke was released on licence from prison on 26 October 2006. Unusually, Merseyside Police applied to Liverpool Magistrates' Court
The Magistrates' Courts is a building on Dale Street, Liverpool used for magistrates' court hearings until 2015. It is a Grade II listed building designed by John Grey Weightman built between 1857 and 1859. Until the 1970s buildings in Great Cr ...
for an interim Sexual Offences Prevention Order against him, although he was never convicted of a sex offence. Under the terms of the order, he was banned from touching, feeling, or measuring anyone's muscles; asking people to do squats
Squat, squatter or squatting may refer to:
Body position
* Squatting position, a sitting position where one's knees are folded with heels touching one's buttocks or back of the thighs
* Squat (exercise), a lower-body exercise in strength and co ...
in public; entering the towns of St Helens, Warrington
Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
, or Widnes
Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464.
Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form th ...
without police permission; and loitering
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a prolonged amount of time without any apparent purpose.
While the laws regarding loitering have been challenged and changed over time, loitering is still illegal in various j ...
near schools, gyms, or sports clubs.[ The ban was later overturned as "draconian", but remained in force after a successful appeal by police.]
On 25 May 2007, Arobieke approached a man in a shopping centre in Preston and commented upon the size of his biceps before "touching them without permission". He was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order, and later convicted.[ and jailed for a further 15 months, with the muscle touching ban being made permanent.]
In July 2008, Arobieke was unsuccessful in trying to overturn the "muscle touching ban", at one point "behaving erratically" just before appearing in court. During the case proceedings, details of Arobieke's " stalker's manual" were disclosed; this was a book Arobieke had compiled that was "full of details about victims' body measurements, contact numbers and families". It was alleged that he would "do research into his victim, confronting them with such details as their father's car registration number or sibling's place of education".
In addition, DC Andrew Rowlings claimed that Arobieke "became sexually aroused while forcing terrified young men to perform 'inverted piggybacks' – ordering them to squat so he could lean over their backs with his face by their buttocks and his genitalia on their necks, while squeezing their quad muscles".[ During the court case, Arobieke made an apology to his victims and admitted that he was "infamous, notorious, everything from a bogeyman to whatever".
]
Breaches of SOPO
In late 2008, Arobieke approached a 17-year-old in Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
and asked to feel his biceps. By doing so, he was in breach of the Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) which specifically prohibited him from approaching young men and touching their muscles. He was arrested and convicted for this breach of the SOPO, receiving a sentence of 18 months.[
In April 2010, Arobieke appeared in court in the Welsh town of ]Mold
A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not ...
, having been charged with further offences. On 24 June 2010, after a jury found him guilty of touching the calf and quadriceps muscles of a 16-year-old boy in Llandudno, the judge said that Arobieke was a "sexual predator" and jailed him for two and a half years. The offence was a breach of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Arobieke, who defended himself in court, insisted he was the victim of malicious false allegations to the police: "They receive several calls a day saying I am in locations across the country even when I am in prison".
In June 2012, Merseyside Police issued a statement denying rumours that Arobieke had died and stating that he remained in prison. The same month, Arobieke was released from prison after serving two years of his sentence.
In August 2013, Arobieke was put on trial at Manchester Crown Court
Manchester Crown Court (Crown Square) is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Crown Square in Manchester, England.
History
Until the 1940s, criminal court cases were heard at the Manchester Assize Courts. However, the assize ...
after being accused of targeting young men in St Peter's Square in Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
as well as in Trafford
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Ur ...
and Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...
, and was cleared of all charges.
In February 2014, a Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.
, Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
Professional Standards investigation found evidence to support police misconduct
Police misconduct refers to inappropriate conduct and illegal actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Types of misconduct include among others: coerced false confession, intimidation, false arrest, false impri ...
against Arobieke. This related to interactions with an off-duty police officer at body building events in the second half of 2012 (one of which led to arrest) and an October 2013 trial during which Arobieke was found not guilty of breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Arobieke claims to have spent almost two years in prison awaiting charges that were either dropped or from which he was acquitted.[
On 1 October 2015, Arobieke was once again found guilty of breaching his SOPO, having asked to touch and measure the muscles of a student travelling on an Arriva Trains Wales service from Manchester Piccadilly to ]Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...
on 11 October 2013. Arobieke, representing himself, denied the offence and claimed he was set up by the police because of his notoriety, but was convicted by a unanimous jury. He also complained about the use of the nickname "Purple Aki" throughout prosecution papers, as he regards it as racist.[ Arobieke had previously complained to the ]Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014, and was replaced by the Inde ...
on these grounds, regarding newspaper use of the nickname.
In May 2016, Manchester Crown Court lifted the Prevention Order. In rendering his decision, Judge Richard Mansell indicated that while breaching the order was a "serious matter", the order's restrictions could "no longer be justified"[ as "none of the recent complainants had formed the slightest impression that Arobieke had derived sexual gratification from their muscles" and, unlike earlier incidents, the victims "hadn't suffered physical or psychological harm".][
]
Racial discrimination
The 1986 conviction of manslaughter was overturned a year later, and Arobieke was awarded an estimated £35,000 in compensation due to alleged racial overtones in the prosecution case.[ There was no evidence that Arobieke had threatened or touched Kelly and three judges ruled that his mere presence at the station was not an unlawful act of harm.][
After his hearing in 2008, Arobieke explained that psychiatric counselling had helped him realise that "if I am towering over them, and I am a big black man, they may not be really consenting, they may be consenting out of fear".][
In August 2013, after being cleared of breaching his SOPO, Arobieke told the court he was the victim of a "modern-day witch hunt" and noted that officers had approached one alleged victim at his home rather than waiting for him to come forward.][ Arobieke had been arrested after being spotted by Detective Inspector Lewis Hughes while off-duty at the Manchester event. In a call to a police operator, DI Hughes said: "There's a famous paedophile here" and then referred to Mr Arobieke by his nickname before adding: "His real name is quite a lengthy Nigerian name. He's very famous... He's here accosting people in the toilets. As far as I know he's got bail conditions that prevent him from attending this sort of event". He was then held in prison for six weeks before being released. In 2014, Arobieke sued Merseyside and ]Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.
, Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
(GMP) over his treatment, noting that he had almost two years in jail awaiting charges that were either dropped or from which he was acquitted.
A GMP Professional Standards investigation found two senior officers were given "words of advice" over their handling of an earlier complaint by Arobieke against DI Hughes. That complaint, which police failed to deal with correctly, was later to form part of a charge against Mr Arobieke of harassing DI Hughes and the case collapsed after the 28-year-old detective acted in what the investigation described as an "unacceptable and unprofessional" manner outside court.
On 23 January 2014, the findings of the investigation were released and include a number of complaints that were rejected but three that were upheld. One of the upheld complaints by Mr Arobieke alleged that during a visit to GMP headquarters on 9 December 2013, a staff member "came from behind the counter and confronted him in a threatening manner". The report said CCTV was viewed and "the conduct of the counter clerk was overly confrontational and likely to cause offence". The staff member "has been formally advised about his conduct".[
In 2016, police began investigating an allegation against the BBC of incitement to racial hatred after Arobieke complained that the 2016 documentary ''The Man Who Squeezes Muscles: Searching for Purple Aki'' was racist. In the film, he is referred to as a "big black man" three times, and it is said that "everyone has seen him or been chased by him" and "everyone thinks they have spotted him and felt a shiver". One alleged victim in the documentary calls Arobieke "purple and huge".][
In 2017, Solita Bar and Grill, which owned four restaurants in Manchester, apologised for naming a burger "Purple Teriyaki" in reference to Arobieke's nickname, after complaints that the name could be construed as racist. The restaurant had posted the name on ]Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
with a photo of a sign which included an arm squeezing a biceps.
In November 2021 it was reported that a video had been posted on social media, appearing to show a group of youths shooting fireworks at a man believed to be Akinwale Arobieke, in Wavertree Street, Liverpool.
Civil case vs Greater Manchester Police
On 16 June 2022 Arobieke was awarded a substantial but undisclosed sum in settlement of a civil case he brought against GMP for malicious prosecution
Malicious prosecution is a common law intentional tort. Like the tort of abuse of process, its elements include (1) intentionally (and maliciously) instituting and pursuing (or causing to be instituted or pursued) a legal action ( civil or crimin ...
and misfeasance in public office. Arobieke alleged that, from 2012, he was targeted by two particular officers, who have not been named. His case was that the officers made false allegations against him which ultimately resulted in him being charged and prosecuted.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arobieke, Akinwale
1961 births
Living people
21st-century English criminals
Criminals from Manchester
English bodybuilders
English people of Nigerian descent
Overturned convictions in England
People from Crumpsall