Family pay tribute to 'kind, gentle soul' who was brutally murdered
21-year-old Anna Jedrkowiak (left) and friends laying flowers where she was killed (right)
May 31, 2023
Tributes have been paid to Anna Jedrkowiak after her murderer was sentenced to a minimum of 29 years in prison.
She was hacked to death in South Ealing by her former boyfriend, 29-year-old Dennis Akpomedaye, who had refused to accept their relationship had ended when she moved to London to study.
Judge Rajeev Shetty passed the life sentence at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday 31 May following the conviction of Akpomedaye at the same court six days earlier.
The 21-year-old, who was known to friends and family as Ania and was a student at the University of West London, had finished work at a restaurant in the centre of Ealing on Tuesday, 17 May 2022 and was walking home with a friend towards her flat at Stirling Place near Clayponds Hospital. At approximately 12:10am, as they were going through Roberts Alley, off Church Gardens, they were set upon by Akpomedaye who launched a frenzied attack on Anna with a knife which he later discarded in Gunnersbury Park.
Anna’s family paid tribute to her by saying, “Ania was such a kind, gentle soul: she would never hurt anyone or be mean in any way.
“She was thoughtful and loving, and everyone who met her fell in love with her. She was brilliantly gifted, especially in music and art, but also so determined and hardworking - she would have gone on to succeed in anything she did.
“She was very smart, tenacious and ambitious, but also very humble.
“She was destined for great things.”
Akpomedaye was arrested within 24 hours and the judge praised the professionalism and dedication of the work of the investigation team at the Met's Specialist Crime Command who he said, had left no stone unturned.
Dennis Akpomedaye. Picture: Met Police
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, the senior investigating officer, said, "Anna’s life was taken by someone who is cowardly but extremely dangerous.
“Anna was scared of him and attempted to end the relationship. When she did this, he said to her “We will be together no matter what … I will find you”.
“She had moved away to start what should have been an exciting new life in London but now will never be able to fulfil that promise, and her family will never see her again.
“It was moving that so many of her family, university and work friends attended a vigil in her honour during the trial.
“My thoughts and sympathies remain with the family and friends of Anna, both in the UK and in Poland, who will never get over the tragic circumstances surrounding her death.
“Even in the context of a murder investigation, the ferocity with which she was attacked was extreme, and this individual belongs in prison where he cannot harm another woman.”
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