In the 1980s rumours swirled around Merseyside and the northwest about ‘Purple Aki’ – a bodybuilder with an affinity for young men’s muscles.
Many assumed he was an urban legend but when the age of the internet dawned it was revealed Purple Aki was real, and he had a trail of terror and even death in his wake.
Akinwale Arobieke was jailed in 2003 for six years after being convicted of harassing 15 men – he had approached young men and measured their muscles, asking them to squat his body weight in what had claimed were sexually motivated actions.
Three years later, while still behind bars, police issued him with a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) that banned him from touching men’s muscles and going to gyms.
And in 2015 he was also found to have touched a young man’s muscles while travelling on a train from Manchester to Wales. He was convicted of breaching the SOPO.
On Tuesday, he was he was found dead in his home in south Liverpool, aged 64. He was pronounced dead at the scene and police have so far described the circumstances as non-suspicious.
The Daily Mail can now reveal that several sources in Merseyside have claimed Arobieke was used by crime groups as a fixer and debt collector.
The former owner of a gym frequented by members of the underworld, who asked not be named, told the Daily Mail that Arobieke was particularly close to Thomas Gildea, who was linked to the supply of drugs across north Liverpool.
Akinwale Arobieke (pictured) was jailed in 2003 for six years after being convicted of harassing 15 men
The Daily Mail can now reveal that several sources in Merseyside have claimed Arobieke was used by crime groups as a fixer and debt collector
He said: ‘I knew Aki for years through his association with Tommy Gildea. Aki was very close to Tommy and helped him with debts and other matters.’
Arobieke was a regular figure at Liverpool Crown Court and sometimes passed himself off as a freelance journalist.
The gym owner said: ‘People like Tommy sent Aki to court to find out what was going on. He would have a look at the jury and listen to who was saying what. Aki helped Tommy and others out with this kind of thing.’
‘I remember he often referred to a boss known as ‘mother’ who I assumed to be Curtis Warren. He would often say he had to go and see ‘Mother’ tomorrow and things like that,’ added the gym owner.
A Liverpool security boss and debt collector said: ‘I have been on debts when Aki was at the other end of the table. I appreciate he was big guy but he never threatened violence – I don’t think he had that in him. I think it was just his reputation as a bogey man.’
And the Merseyside man said he also remembers a bizarre Christmas Day spent with Arobieke.
He said: ‘So Aki had helped my parents out with a problem and they invited him over for Christmas Day. He turned up and was good as gold. Ever so polite.’
While members of Liverpool’s criminal fraternity may have used Aki as a fixer, the bodybuilder clearly had a dark side which manifested itself over the years.
Arobieke was a regular figure at Liverpool Crown Court and sometimes passed himself off as a freelance journalist
John Youseff remembers a sinister encounter with Arobieke when he was just 15 years old. Speaking on YouTube John, who is a well known bodybuilder, said he was approached by Arobieke in Liverpool city centre.
John said that he was approached by Arobieke outside a protein shop. Arobieke urged John not to go in the shop but to follow him to a different outlet where Arobieke was entitled to a discount.
When John was reluctant to do so Arobieke accused him of being a ‘racist.’
John agreed but was then a bit taken aback when Arobieke asked if he would to walk over to Liverpool Crown Court to watch a murder trial. Arobieke then produced a press card which baffled John.
When they reached the courts John said that he was escorted to a small room by Arobieke where he was forced to take his top off and flex his muscles, and then forced to lift Arobieke.
John said: ‘I was like, “I I don’t want to do that.” And he’s like, “Just do it. You know, you’re not leaving here till it’s done.”‘
John said that he managed to escape from the ordeal but was later confronted by Arobieke outside his house in Formby.
John said: ‘He jumps out the bushes about 10 at night, grabs hold of me. He’s like, “I’ve brought me tape measure to measure your muscles”. I was like, what? What?
The former owner of a gym frequented by members of the underworld, who asked not be named, told the Daily Mail that Arobieke was particularly closed to Thomas Gildea, who was linked to the supply of drugs across north Liverpool
‘He kneels down to measure me thigh and I pushed him, dropped me bike and legged it like banging on the door.’
Sadly John’s encounter with Arobieke was shared by many other young men across the city in the 1980s and 1990s. However locals who knew Arobieke told the Daily Mail that the police started to take him more seriously after a young person died.
In June 1986, Gary Kelly spent the afternoon hanging around with pals at the local pool in New Brighton, Wirral.
The talented footballer had just finished his O-Levels and was looking forward to spending the summer with his friends. But when one of them shouted Aki’s here the teenager bolted across the field and fled.
Gary, it would later emerge, had been subjected to a long harassment campaign by Aki who had ‘threatened to kill him.’ Gary headed to the train station, where he tried to hide from Aki. Tragically he touched a live rail by accident and was electrocuted.
Arobieke was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to jailed for two-and-a-half years.
In November 1987, the conviction was overturned and Aki was reported to have received £30,000 compensation.
The former gym owner who knew Arobieke said: ‘After that I think things changed a bit. The police got right onto him.’
Arobieke was imprisoned for a further six years following his guilty pleas to 15 counts of harassment and one count of witness harassment in 2003. On his release in 2006, Arobieke was handed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) which banned him from specific activities.
He then became a regular figure at the courts when he was often accused of breaching the order and was jailed in 2009 and 2010. He then began to accuse the police of harassment, and enjoyed some success in the courts where he spent much of his time.
He was arrested at a bodybuilding event at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, when officers believed he was in breach of the order handed down to him. He later took action against Greater Manchester Police and received a substantial pay out.
Three years ago, footage appeared on social media showing a group of Liverpool men warning him to leave the area. The men then launched fireworks at him, which appeared to strike him in the head.
On Wednesday (August 27), Mersey Police confirmed that Mr Arobieke had been found dead at this home in Toxteth, Liverpool.
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that emergency services were in the Toxteth area following a non-suspicious death last night, Tuesday 26 August.’
