An infamous 'bogeyman' known as Purple Aki has lost an appeal against an order banning him from squeezing other men's muscle.
A judge who heard Akinwale Arobieke's appeal described him as 'out of control'.The 46-year-old had challenged a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (Sopo) that stopped him from pressing flesh and asking men and boys to squat.
The odd obsession with muscle development landed him with a six-year jail spell in 2003 when he admitted 15 counts of harassment and a charge of witness intimidation.Many of the young men targeted by Arobieke were from St Helens, and after his release from jail he was barred from entering the town.In jail complaints against the 6ft 5in asthma sufferer continued to rack up from inmates claiming he touched them and asked to measure biceps with a shoelace.
Despite jail and the Sopo, Arobieke insisted he should be allowed to touch men's muscles in private and with consent.
He insisted it was nothing sexual - contrary to witnesses' claims he was aroused when jumping on their backs and bearhugging them.Judge William George insisted the Sopo, made by magistrates last year, was valid.Referring to an episode in which Arobieke, who is originally from Toxeth, Liverpool, touched a stranger's arm in Preston last year after the Sopo was made, the judge said: ''It shows he is out of control.
He is out of his own control according to his own evidence.''Arobieke has never been convicted of a sex assault - though charges of indecent assault were left to lie on file when he was imprisoned in 2003.Until explicit accounts of his odd and terrifying behaviour were outlined in court during his 2003 trial many believed Purple Aki was little more than a urban legend.
His infamy is now such that he has a page on Wikipedia detailing his bizarre antics, while television cameras captured a music fan at this year's Glastonbury festival waving a purple flag emblazoned with his police mugshot.
Dr Sue Ryan, a psychologist for Merseyside Police, told Liverpool Crown Court: ''I believe that without psychological intervention and or external restraints through a Sopo, Mr Arobieke will continue to reoffend by harassing and touching male children and young men.''
Rob Wynn-Jones, counsel for Arobieke, said of him: ''He was achieving infamy in Liverpool and surrounding areas and he was engaging in - his own words - eccentric behaviour.''His reputation grew as a local bogeyman. Stories about him grew wilder and wilder.''
Purple Aki Loses Bicep Appeal
Saints Get Stadium Boost
St Helens moved a step closer to realising their dream of a new stadium today when the Government approved plans for a massive regeneration of the town.
A decision by the Government Office for the North West not to send the scheme to public enquiry will accelerate the development and means Saints could move into their £25million 18,000 capacity stadium in time for the start of the 2011 season.
St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus said: “This is excellent news for the club and its supporters. “We are now looking at an identifiable timeframe and have avoided the onerous costs of a central government call-in.
“This is another important hurdle out of the way and we look forward to the work and challenges ahead. The future of the club and of the town is looking very healthy indeed.”
Developers had already received local planning consent to transform a derelict 46-acre former glassworks site into a new home for the Saints and a multi-million pound supermarket. As part of a separate plan, Knowsley Road, home to St Helens for the last 116 years, will be developed for housing.
The developers must now work with St Helens Council on a conservation management plan for the ancient monument and site clearance, which is expected to start by the middle of next year with a target for completion of February 2011.
Mayor of St Helens Golf Day to Raise Funds for Willowbrook Hospice
The Mayor of St. Helens, Councillor John Beirne will be holding a golf championship to raise funds for his Mayors Appeal which is the Willowbrook Hospice.
The Mayor of St. Helens, Councillor John Beirne will be holding a golf championship to raise funds for his Mayors Appeal which is the Willowbrook Hospice.
The popular annual event will be held at Sherdley Park Golf Course on Saturday 16th August at Sherdley Park Golf Course, St. Helens. Entry fee is £13.00 for adults and players must have a recognised golfing handicap.(Forms available from Democratic Services)
Since the tourney was launched 19 years ago around £60,000 has been raised for various charities and it has become an established event in the sporting calendar attracting players from all over the North West.
Holes can be sponsored at a cost of £100. Each sponsor will receive two free entries into the competition, advertising on the tee and around the club house plus a complimentary buffet meal for their competitors. There will also be a special prize for the best card recorded by a sponsor. Individual players can also enter. For further information contact Alan Jenkins on 01744 456818.
Entry forms are available from Sherdley Park Golf Club - 01744 815518. Individual entry is £13 for men and £10 ladies. Entry forms are also available from the Council’s Democratic Services Section at the Town Hall in Victoria Square, St.Helens.
Says Councillor Beirne: "We are indebted to Sherdley Park Golf Club for organising this wonderful fund raising event. This has become a favourite in the golfing calendar and I sincerely hope everyone who take part will have a thoroughly enjoyable day and make the event as successful as ever."
A Snippet of What's On at St Helens Festival 2008
Visitors due to flock to the St.Helens Festival this weekend (July 5 & 6) will be able to access a wide range of information about Council services blue badges
Thousands of visitors due to flock to the St.Helens Festival this weekend (July 5 & 6) will be able to access a wide range of information about Council services including a focus on key services for disabled people.
The Blue Badge team will be their to discuss applications for blue badges and disabled parking bays.
They will be on hand to give advice on completing applications and eligibility as well.
The work of the popular Ward Committees are also featured and visitors have a chance to win a picnic basket plus Marks and Spencer vouchers.
St.Helens residents will be asked to come up with environmental with a winner drawn out at random.
The Festival will celebrate and showcase the Borough’s rich heritage and wealth of talent and from the official opening carnival parade there will be a packed programme of music, sport, arts, culture and much more.
There really is something for everyone at this year’s festival which has been organised by St.
Helens Council.
Highlights include jaw dropping stunts, thrilling medieval jousting and fearless displays in the Main Arena and activities galore in the Children’s Zone including Bob the Builder and Friends taking to the stage on Saturday, Snoopy keeping youngsters fit on Sunday plus sandcastle building at the beach, face painting, donkey and train rides and Punch & Judy too.
The Youth Zone, for 11 to 18-year-olds, is packed with adrenaline pumping challenges and local, national and international bands will cater for all musical tastes in the Music Pavilion.
New for 2008 in the Country & Heritage Zone are traditional country craft demonstrations and shire horses, falconry and gun dog displays. Here you can also purchase unique jewellery and gifts and find out about local history.
Creative St.Helens gives Festival visitors the chance to get involved and includes a community stage for local musicians, dancers and performers, the Big Art Project, acrobats, stilt-walkers,
carnival artists and exhibitions.
You can get active in the Sports Zone where rugby, football and table tennis tournaments have been lined up and in Access St.Helens you can find out about Council services and those provided by community organisations ranging from health issues to saving money on Council Tax.
Man's Body Found in Newton - Cause of Death Unknown
Police are investigating the unexplained death of a 45-year-old man, whose body was discovered at a house on Willow Avenue, Newton-le-Willows.
The man, who has not been named, was found at around 7pm on Sunday, June 29. Investigating officers are currently awaiting the results of a post mortem to determine the cause of death.
Purple Aki Appeals Muscles Ban
An 'infamous' criminal - dubbed Purple Aki - who was jailed for harassing a number of young men in St Helens has launched an appeal to overturn an order banning him from squeezing people's muscles.
Akinwale Arobiele kept what he called a ''stalker's manual'' containing details of young men he became fascinated with. The 46-year-old was jailed for six years in 2003 for 16 counts of harassment and has been known to the police for years because of what he admits was an ''unusual interest in muscles, the development of muscles and the potential of young men to improve their physique''.
He was released from prison in 2006 - after racking up several complaints from other prison inmates and warders - and Merseyside Police immediately applied for a sexual offences prevention order against him. The order, which was granted by magistrates in Liverpool, banned him from entering St Helens as well as engaging in a number of bizarre activities, including asking people to perform squat thrusts and touching muscles.
But now Arobieke, who has never been convicted of a sex assault, is bidding to have it quashed through a civil court hearing at Liverpool Crown Court. He believes the magistrates made the order illegally and its terms were too punitive.The case against Arobieke, formerly of Cavendish Gardens, Toxteth, Liverpool, is outlined in papers given to Judge William George, who is sitting with justices and without a jury.
Kenderik Horne, on behalf of Merseyside Police, said: ''During the course of the investigation into the St Helens and Warrington offences, the appellant was arrested and his home searched.''Police found numerous photographs of powerfully-built young men with personal details of the men and their families; copious hand-written notes in relation to other young males around the country including body part measurements and an address book (referred to as the 'stalker's manual') with an index of contact numbers including previous and ongoing victims, electoral roll numbers and victims' personal details.''
As well as being banned from feeling muscles and asking people to squat, under the Sexual Offences Prevention Order Arobieke is also forbidden from approaching under-18s; working with under-18s; driving unless the make, model and colour of the car are notified to police; going near schools, colleges, and universities without written permission from Merseyside's Chief Constable; entering or loitering around sports clubs and gyms and leaving Liverpool without telling the police.
Giving evidence from behind a curtain, a bodybuilding champion told the court Arobieke felt and prodded his muscles over three years. He said the attention culminated in 1996 when on holiday in Tenerife and Arobieke stabbed him, for which he needed hospital treatment.Arobieke's barrister Rob Wynn-Jones, whom he repeatedly beckoned during proceedings, denied the accusations, saying they were prompted by a fall-out the bodybuilder had with Arobeieke's brother.
He said: ''You knew his reputation as Purple Aki and the stories that were going around.''Such is his reputation as Purple Aki that at last weekend's Glastonbury festival a huge purple flag could be seen featuring Arobieke's police mug shot and a defamatory allegation, and he even has a page on the internet site Wikipedia.Mr Wynn-Jones said: ''He became a local celebrity, infamous among younger members of the community.''The hearing which is due to go on until Friday was adjourned until tomorrow.
For more details of the history of this case click here
