Man admits sexually assaulting woman in Queen mourners' queue

Adeshina Adio denies assaulting a second woman in the queue

A man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman in the queue to attend the Queen's lying in state.

Adeshina Adio, 20, exposed himself and pressed himself against the victim as she waited in line at Victoria Tower Gardens on the evening of 14 September.

Adio, who was in breach of a suspended sentence, then jumped into the River Thames to evade police.

Appearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, he denied a further charge of sexual assault of another woman.

Prosecutor Felicia Davy said the pleas were "acceptable to the Crown".

At a previous hearing, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard the first victim noticed Adio, as he had suddenly appeared in the queue next to her.

"She noticed the defendant was getting closer to her, he was touching her back. She describes the defendant pushing into her, she could feel something touching her back," prosecutor Alex Adowale said. The woman turned around to see Adio had exposed himself, the prosecutor added.

"Hugely distressing"

The court heard the victim then saw Adio approaching another woman in the queue, exposing himself to her and rubbing himself up against her.

The victim alerted security guards who then called the police, the court was told.

Adio then jumped into the Thames before later emerging from the water and being arrested.

The court was told Adio has eight previous convictions for 29 offences, including sexual offences between 2020 and this year. It also heard Adio has "complex mental health issues", having been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder.

District Crown prosecutor Anita Arora said Adio had targeted a young woman in the queue who was waiting patiently with other family members to see the lying in state of the Queen.

"This incident was hugely distressing for the victim and her family who were with her at the time, and she behaved with composure and courage," she said.

"What Adio did was disgusting, especially given the sombre nature of the event and the dignity of the vast majority of people attending the lying-in-state during the period of national mourning," she said.

Adio, of Walworth, south-east London is due to be sentenced on 25 November and has been remanded in custody.

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