A murder trial at Inner London Crown Court has heard that Ayodele Jamgbadi, 30, allegedly punched Elizabeth line assistant Jorge Ortega, 61, at Ilford railway station after Jamgbadi “just missed a train” heading towards London Stratford. Mr Ortega died two days later from a “severe traumatic brain injury”.
Incident at Ilford station
Prosecutor Patrick Dennis told the court that on December 4, 2024, at around 8:45 pm, Mr Ortega was on duty at Ilford station and officially on a break in the staff office by platform three. CCTV showed Jamgbadi arriving at the station and missing the train, after which he “repeatedly kicked an advertisement frame”.
Hearing the noise, Mr Ortega and two other staff members came out of the office to calm Jamgbadi down. Mohammed Alim, a customer experience assistant, testified that Mr Ortega asked Jamgbadi if everything was okay. Jamgbadi “seemed a bit angry, a bit disturbed” and responded, “What? Who’s got a problem?”
The punch and its aftermath
Mr Dennis said: “What then happened is, as Mr Ortega retreated backwards the defendant punched him once to the face and then that caused Mr Ortega to fall onto the platform and he struck his head and that rendered him unconscious.” The punch was delivered “with significant force”. After the assault, Jamgbadi displayed aggressive behaviour towards other staff members and left the station.
Mr Alim said Mr Ortega was brought into the staff office, where he was “going in and out of consciousness” while waiting for an ambulance. He was taken to The Royal London Hospital in Tower Hamlets, where he died on December 6, 2024.
Legal proceedings and family tribute
Jamgbadi, of Kingston Road, Ilford, is accused of murder but is unfit to plead due to his mental health. He is currently in hospital and not attending court. The jury will not decide guilt or innocence; instead, in a “trial of issue”, they will determine whether Jamgbadi punched Mr Ortega and whether that punch was a significant cause of his death.
Mr Ortega’s family previously paid tribute to him in a statement released by his son: “Our dad was the most loving person, the kindest soul you could have the pleasure of meeting. Everyone who has met our dad or who has ever worked with him over the years will tell you this. He had a brilliant mind, enjoyed cooking, loved drawing, and was highly skilled in art. He was an amazing family man and would always put other people first. He loved his grandchildren, and in turn, they adored our dad. He was totally devoted to our mum and loved her beyond what words can describe. Having been together for over 38 years, he is an example of what a great man should be like and a role model that we highly look up to. We can only hope to be like him. Dad is and will always be in our hearts.”
The trial continues.
