Daily Mail
Police officer who failed to enter home despite hearing 50 loud thuds inside as man murdered his wife with skateboard escapes with a written warning
By ANDREW LEVY, REPORTER
Published: 11:53 EST, 8 March 2026 | Updated: 12:00 EST, 8 March 2026
A police officer who failed to enter a home despite overhearing dozens of 'thuds' as a 'ruthless and cold-blooded' man murdered his wife with a skateboard has received a written warning.
The unnamed constable - who had visited the house the previous day when Olubunmi Abodunde assaulted his wife Taiwo - waited outside for 35 minutes despite hearing over 50 loud noises as he delivered the ferocious beating with the toy.
By the time the PC and a probationary colleague entered, mother-of-three Mrs Abodunde, 41, had had her 'skull smashed in'.
The blows delivered by Abodunde, 50, were so powerful that a pathologist was unable to say how many she had sustained.
Neighbours today questioned how there were no serious consequences for the three officers who were initially investigated for misconduct or gross misconduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct following the incident, saying Mrs Abodunde could be 'alive now' if they hadn't dithered.
The PC on probation who attended the terraced house in Newmarket, Suffolk, while the murder took place on November 28, 2023, resigned from the force during the probe and didn't face any disciplinary proceedings.
And the IOPC decided an acting sergeant who advised the officers not to enter the house, despite concerns for Mrs Abodunde's wellbeing - and who handled her husband's arrest the day before - was cleared of any misconduct.
The more experienced PC who attended the address was also cleared of gross misconduct but handed a written improvement notice for unsatisfactory performance.
IOPC director Emily Barry said: 'The meeting – organised by the force and held over four days - ended on February 27 and it found that a police constable failed to perform their duties.
'This relates to them delaying entry into Mrs Abodunde's home on November 28, despite having concerns for her wellbeing and suspicions that Mr Abodunde was inside the address.
'While the case was not proven for gross incompetence, it was found proven for unsatisfactory performance. They were given a written improvement notice.
'The case of gross incompetence against the officer's supervisor – an acting sergeant – was found not proven.
'This was in relation to them advising the officers not to enter the property on November 28, when they were aware of the officers' concerns for Mrs Abodunde, and regarding their supervision of the case after Mr Abodunde was taken into custody on November 27.'
Ben Hudson, the branch secretary for Suffolk Police Federation, added: 'Officers regularly make complex decisions in fast-moving and uncertain situations, particularly during responses to domestic incidents.
'While such decisions are rightly scrutinised, it is important that the outcomes of formal processes, including those overseen by the IOPC, are communicated fairly and in line with the findings reached.'
But a local, who asked not to be named, told the Mail: 'How can they say it wasn't the worst kind of incompetence?
'They had two people outside who could hear what was going on inside but did nothing.
'While they waited, she was being attacked. She could be alive now if they'd done something.'
Abodunde was jailed for life at Ipswich Crown Court in May 2024 and told he would serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars.
The court was told he was jealous and suspicious throughout his marriage and accused his wife of having affairs.
Suffolk Police had been involved with the couple several times over alleged domestic violence incidents before Mrs Abodunde's death.
The day before, Abodunde was arrested after the same two officers arrived at the couple's home and found his wife with a split lip.
He was freed on police bail later the same day with a condition to stay away from the marital home and not to approach his wife.
But he went home the following morning after working a night shift at Tesco, claiming he wanted his mobile phone.
The PCs arrived at 9.20am to take a statement about the previous day's incident but didn't enter the property until 9.55am – despite the commotion inside - when permission was granted. They immediately confirmed Mrs Abodunde was 'obviously dead'.
A post-mortem examination found she had been throttled until she fell unconscious, then stamped on until her ribs were broken.
Her husband used the skateboard to finish off the care home worker with blows that were so violent it was damaged in the process.
Prosecutor Simon Spence KC told a previous hearing, where the defendant admitted murder after a jury had been sworn in, that the banging the police officers heard was likely to have been Abodunde continuing the attack after his wife was unconscious or dead.
The family arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2022 but clashed over money issues as well as the alleged affairs.
Abodunde was a trained civil engineer but had been unable to find work in the sector since relocating here and took shifts at supermarkets and DIY stores.
Following his arrest for murder, he told police he had acted in self-defence, saying: 'My wife has subjected me to physical abuse for a number of years.
'On November 28, we got into an argument. She ran at me with a knife. I grabbed the knife and cut my hand. I was defending myself.'
But Ipswich Crown Court heard that, while he did have an injury to his hand, there wasn't a knife near his wife's body.
Nneka Akudolu KC, defending, said the level of violence was 'completely out of character' for her client and might have been affected by medication he was taking. However, no medical evidence was provided to support the claim.
A written improvement notice for unsatisfactory performance is a formal notice which remains in effect for 12 months.
No further action is taken unless the officer's performance fails to improve, in which case the matter is referred to a second stage meeting.
