A thug who killed a church leader grandmother after befriending her has been jailed for 12 years.
The court heard how Hugo Da Silva Pires broke into Nelly Akomah’s home on June 20, 2023.
Akomah, 76, was found with fatal injuries and a black eye at the bottom of the stairs in her house on Ladbrook Road in Thornton Heath, south London.
The mother-of-two’s body was discovered by her sister, who had become worried when she could not contact her that morning.
Da Silva Pires knew Akomah lived alone as he had recently fitted a kitchen for her and even visited the address earlier that day to help Akomah register appliances.
During the burglary, he violently attacked Akomah which resulted in her falling down the stairs and dying of her injuries.
Da Silva Pires then went on to use Akomah’s bank card to buy smartphones, children’s bedding and power tools.
Da Silva Pires, 29, of Fernham Road, Thornton Heath South London, was sentenced at the Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, November 25, for manslaughter, burglary and fraud.
Hugo Da Silva Pires (pictured) befriended Nelly Akomah after fitting a kitchen in her Croydon home
Nelly Akomah (pictured), 76, was found with fatal injuries and a black eye at the bottom of the stairs in her house on Ladbrook Road in Thornton Heath
Police launched a manhunt to find Da Silva Pires who was eventually caught after using Akomah’s bank card on CCTV
Detectives were able to track down Da Silva Pires after he was caught on CCTV using the bank card.
His DNA was also found under his victim’s fingernails after she tried to fight back.
Evidence of Akomah trying to fight off her attacker can be seen in Da Silva Pires’s mugshot. The photograph taken by police shows Da Silva Pires littered with scratches.
In an attempt to avoid police Da Silva Pires cut the wires to the CCTV system installed at Akomah’s home.
He also entered a shipping address in the Azores for the items he bought on her bank card – although he put an address of Thornton Heath for an iPhone he also attempted to buy.
He eventually discarded the bank cards at Clapham Junction Train Station.
Aided by his girlfriend Catiana Feliciano, Da Silva Pires tried to flee the country but was stopped by officers at Stanstead airport before escaping.
In a heartbreaking statement, Akomah’s family said that the past 17 months have been an ‘unimaginable ordeal’ and no punishment can ever bring back their ‘mother, grandmother, sister, friend and mentor’.
The family said: ‘We will forever cherish our memories with the matriarch of our family and community, whose life was taken far too soon.
Akomah, 76, was found with fatal injuries at the bottom of the stairs in her home
Police were called by the London Ambulance Service after reports Akomah was found dead at a house on Ladbrook Road (pictured)
Akomah’s family said that their hearts had been broken due to the ‘cruel, mindless and senseless attack’
‘Nelly found joy in serving and helping those around her. A church leader with a 30 plus year nursing career, she cherished her life, her faith and her family and friends.
‘Nelly brought compassion and care to everyone she came across in her life and was looking forward to celebrating her 77th birthday with more energy and vivacity than ever.
‘Hugo Da Silva Pires is a heartless individual. He deliberately preyed on an elderly woman who trusted him in her home as a tradesman.
‘The manslaughter conviction can never quantify the severity of this crime, and the lasting impact that Da Silva Pires’ callous motivations will have on the many, many people who loved Nelly.’
Speaking in June of last year fellow churchgoers described Nelly as an ‘understanding’ leader of the ‘Croydon group’ of the Upper Tooting Methodist Church in south London.
The president of Ms Akomah’s Nigeria Methodist Mission UK, Dame Susan Solanke, said in a statement: ‘Sister Nelly, only last week we were all at a weekend retreat, full of life.
‘You were such a valuable member of the mission who will be sorely missed. My heart is broken with this cruel, mindless and senseless attack.
‘The manslaughter conviction can never quantify the severity of this crime, and the lasting impact that Da Silva Pires’ callous motivations will have on the many, many people who loved Nelly.
‘As we move forward, we ask for privacy as we can finally grieve and try to rebuild our lives. We hope that this sentencing serves as a message that such senseless violence and greed has no place in our society.’
Feliciano, 33, of Fernham Road, Thornton Heath, pleaded guilty to fraud and perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in January 2024.