Man admits sexually assaulting woman in queue to attend the Queen's lying in state
14 October 2022, 17:30 | Updated: 14 October 2022, 17:41
A man has admitted sexually assaulting a woman while in line to see the Queen lying in state at Parliament.
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Adeshina Adio, 20, exposed himself and pushed into the woman from behind as she queued at Victoria Tower Gardens.
When officers came to try and apprehend him, he is said to have thrown himself into the River Thames in a bid to escape.
Adio was taken into custody following the incident and admitted sexual assault and the breach of a sexual harm prevention order at Southwark crown court today.
He spoke to confirm his name and date of birth before pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
He denied a further count of sexual assaulting an unknown woman and prosecutor Felicia Davy said the pleas were "acceptable to the Crown".
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Judge Jeffrey Pegden KC adjourned the case until a sentencing hearing which will take place on November 25.
Adio has eight previous convictions for 29 offences, including sexual offences between 2020 and this year, and was handed an SHPO at Inner London Crown Court on August 3 which prohibits him from touching or exposing himself in a public place, save for a public toilet.
At an earlier hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, prosecutor Alex Adowale described his behaviour as "very concerning".
He said: "Over the past two years, the defendant has committed a number of offences.
"The defendant poses a real threat to members of the public, namely women."
At an earlier hearing, Mr Adowale outlined allegations, saying: “The defendant was part of the queue to see the resting in state of Queen Elizabeth II.”
The woman was one of thousands of people who had been lining the streets of central London to see the Queen’s coffin.
She noticed Adio because she had not seen him previously, despite having stood in the line with the same people for hours.
It's alleged that Adio moved closer to the woman, and she noticed something touching her back, and when she turned around, she could see that he had exposed himself.
Adio bit on his jumper during some of the hearing.
The court heard Adio has “complex mental health issues” and is on the autistic spectrum.
A psychological assessment is due to be carried out before sentencing, and he has been remanded into custody.
