Nigerian-born bodybuilder Akinwale Arobieke, widely known in Merseyside as “Purple Aki,” has been found dead at his home in Liverpool at the age of 64.
Merseyside Police confirmed that officers were called to an address on Devonshire Road in Toxteth at around 8.30pm on Tuesday, August 26, following reports of a man found unresponsive. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Police said the circumstances are not being treated as suspicious, and a file has been passed to the coroner.
Arobieke was a controversial figure in the UK, infamous for his 2003 conviction for harassing 15 men, for which he was jailed for six years. He gained notoriety after being described in local media as a “modern-day bogeyman.”
While serving his sentence, he was made subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which banned him from touching men’s muscles and from visiting gyms. The restrictions later led to further convictions, including a 2015 case where he was accused of touching a man’s muscles on a train. He successfully appealed against the 10-year ban in 2016 after representing himself in court.
In 2022, Arobieke secured a significant payout from Greater Manchester Police after suing the Chief Constable for malicious prosecution and misfeasance in public office. He argued that two officers had pursued a campaign against him, and the settlement came just weeks before the trial was due to begin.
Despite his notoriety, Arobieke often maintained that he had been the victim of a “modern-day witch hunt” by authorities.
Police say preparations are underway for an inquest into his death.
