Akinwale Arobieke

Akinwale Arobieke (born July 1961),cite news|url=http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2004/2256.html&query=Arobieke&method=boolean|title=Underwood & Ors, R v (2004) EWCA Crim 2256|author=England and Wales Court of Appeal|date=2004-07-30|accessdate=2008-06-04] known locally in the north west as Purple Aki, is a convicted criminal from Liverpool, United Kingdom. He was widely believed to be an urban legend until his imprisonment in 2001. He was well known as a "bogeyman" in the area, with stories of his activity reaching as far as Wigan, Greater Manchester and Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Aki is convert|6|ft|5|in|cm|abbr=on tall and weighs convert|20|st|kg. [http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/07/03/aki-s-let-me-squeeze-muscles-appeal-100252-21222106/ Aki's 'let me squeeze muscles' appeal - Liverpool Echo.co.uk ] ]

Early Criminal History

In the late 1980s a young man named Gary Kelly was electrocuted at New Brighton railway station whilst allegedly running away from Arobieke. Arobieke was convicted of his manslaughter. However, he won his appeal on the grounds that he had not acted unlawfully by 'standing on the platform and looking into trains'. [R v Arobieke [1988] , CA]

He appeared in court on 22 November 2001, pleading not guilty to fifty counts of indecent assault and harassment against fourteen teenage boys between February 1995 and September 2000. He was convicted of threatening behaviour and was jailed for thirty months. [Liverpool Daily Post, 23rd November 2001.]

Released in 2003, Arobieke resumed his activities and was quickly arrested and charged with fifteen counts of harassment. During the course of the trial 123 people were interviewed by police, including one family who were forced into the Witness Protection Programme as a result of threats from Arobieke. This led to Arobieke being additionally charged with witness intimidation. On 15 December 2003 he was jailed for six years by Preston Crown Court, pleading guilty to the charges. When sentencing Arobieke, Judge Slinger said: "You are a danger to young men and your behaviour is both strange and obsessive.cite news|url=http://www.sthelenstoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=70&ArticleID=713136|title=Purple Aki jailed|author=St. Helens Today|date=2003-12-18|accessdate=2007-03-19]

Muscle Touching Ban

Arobieke was released on licence on 26 October 2006. Unusually, Merseyside police applied to Liverpool Magistrates' Court for an interim Sexual Offences Prevention Order against him, although he was never convicted of a sex offence. Under the terms of the order, Arobieke was banned from touching, feeling or measuring muscles, asking people to do squat exercises in public, entering the towns of St Helens, Warrington or Widnes without police permission and loitering near schools, gyms or sports clubs.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6087922.stm|title=Man banned from touching muscles|author=BBC News|date=2006-10-23|accessdate=2007-03-19] The ban was later overturned as "draconian" [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6390471.stm|title='Muscle touching' ban overturned|author=BBC News|date=2007-02-23|accessdate=2007-02-23] but remained in force after a successful appeal by police.cite news|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2007/06/28/--8216-muscles-man--8217--aki-arrested-again-100252-19368950/|title='Muscles man' Aki arrested again|author=Liverpool Echo|date=2007-06-28|accessdate=2007-06-28]

On May 24 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 afterward on suspicion of breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order, and remanded in custody.

He was later convicted of breaching this ordercite news|url=http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Sex-offender-breached-court-order.3488565.jp|title=Sex Offender breached court order|author=Lancashire Evening Post|date=2007-11-14|accessdate=2008-01-18] and jailed for a further 15 months.cite news |url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/tm_method=full&objectid=20478756&siteid=50061-name_page.html|title=Man must stop touching muscles|author=Liverpool Daily Post|date=2008-02-15|accessdate=2008-03-19] , with the muscle touching ban being made permanent.

Muscle Touching Ban Appeal

In July 2008 Arobieke was unsuccessful in trying to overturn the 'muscle touching ban' at one point being also accused of 'behaving erratically' in court. [http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2008/05/16/muscles-pervert-erratic-in-court-64375-20919278/ Muscles pervert "erratic" in court - Liverpool Daily Post.co.uk ] ] During the court case, details of Arobieke's "stalker’s manual" were disclosed; a book Arobieke had compiled that was "full of details about victims' body measurements, contact numbers and families." It was alleged that Arobieke would "do research into his victim, confronting them with such details as their father's car registration number or sibling's place of education."

During the court case DC Patrick Kilgannon told how "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". [http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/07/04/aki-i-m-sorry-for-my-touching-of-men-s-muscles-i-know-it-was-wrong-100252-21227704/ Aki: I’m sorry for my touching of men’s muscles. I know it was wrong - Liverpool Echo.co.uk ] ]

The Legend of Purple Aki

Stories about a man named 'Purple Aki', partially based upon Arobieke (presumably exaggerated), were common amongst children in Merseyside and the surrounding areas throughout the 1980s and 1990s.cite web|url=http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=purple+aki|title=Purple Aki|accessdate=2007-07-01|format=HTML|work=Urban Dictionary] [cite web|url=http://www.b3ta.com/questions/localnutters/post15017/|title=Question of the Week: Local Nutters|accessdate=2008-03-30|format=HTML|work=B3ta] 'Purple Aki' was said to have earned his name because he was "so black he was purple" [cite web|url=http://www.b3ta.com/questions/localnutters/post15041/|title=Question of the Week: Local Nutters|accessdate=2008-03-30|format=HTML|work=B3ta] , or more fancifully because he had purple hair or cape. [cite web|url=http://www.b3ta.com/questions/localnutters/post15225/|title=Question of the Week: Local Nutters|accessdate=2008-03-30|format=HTML|work=B3ta] . As with most urban legends the details varied considerably, but stories usually involved 'Purple Aki' pursuing or capturing school children and then mutilating, raping or murdering them. He was also said to carve the initials 'P.A.' into the buttocks of his victims.He also found in the bootle area of Liverpool

In June 2008, a large banner was flown at the Glastonbury Festival saying "arr mate!!! Purple Aki jus' gripped us in a porta loo." Dave McCabe, lead singer of The Zutons commented on the flag during their set, saying, "Bad shout out to the lads with the Purple flag." [ [http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/8584/25fhoj8yl8.jpgPicture 1 of flag] ] [ [http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/6880/n51640259410059832523ga3.jpgPicture 2 of flag] ]

The Scouse mythology of Purple Aki has been satirised on a spoof Bod / South Park cartoon called "The adventures of Purple Ackey" (sic) [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YAL4QFXDRI Youtube Clip of "The adventures of Purple Ackey" ] ]

References