A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his ex-partner in Carlton/Mapperley, Nottinghamshire, following a hearing on 5 February 2026. Adedapo Adegbola was jailed after pleading guilty to the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Stephanie “Steph” Irons at her home in October 2025; the judge imposed a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years.
Nottinghamshire Police and court reports say Adegbola forced his way into Miss Irons’ flat on Westdale Lane West in the Mapperley area on the evening of 21 October 2025. Prosecutors told the court he inflicted a fatal knife wound to her neck that severed her jugular vein. Witnesses and CCTV evidence presented at sentencing indicated Adegbola sat on Miss Irons’ sofa as she lay dying on the floor before leaving the flat.
Miss Irons’ family described her as a “bright young star” and a “shining light” whose whole future was taken from her. In a victim impact statement read to the court, her mother, Donna Fox, and stepfather, James Birtles, spoke of the devastating effect of the loss and paid tribute to her ambition to pursue clinical psychology.
After the killing, investigators found blood-stained items, including trainers and a jumper, on streets in Mapperley and nearby Carlton. Reports say Adegbola travelled to a property in Mansfield and then to Worksop, Sheffield and Hull before returning to Nottingham and surrendering to police the following day. Nottinghamshire Police praised the family’s courage during the investigation and described the case as “truly shocking and tragic.”
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