An “abhorrent” and “heartless” man has been convicted of manslaughter, burglarly and fraud, following the death in her own home in Thornton Heath last year of 76-year-old grandmother Nelly Okomah.
Guilty: Hugo Da Silva Pires was found with scratches on his face and neck when arrested at Stanstead in June 2023
Hugo Da Silva Pires, 29, of Fernham Road in Thornton Heath, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court last week to 12 years’ imprisonment, after pleading guilty earlier this year.
His girlfriend and accomplice, Catiana Feliciano, 33, had pleaded guilty to fraud and perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in January this year.
Da Silva Pires and Feliciano were both arrested at Stanstead Airport in June 2023, while attempting to flee the country following the incident in Akomah’s home on Ladbrook Road.
In court, details emerged of how Da Silva Pires was known and trusted by Akomah, as he worked as a handyman who had fitted a kitchen for her and had been at her home earlier in the day of her death to help her register some kitchen appliances.
While stealing items from her home, he was confronted by Akomah, “which resulted in her falling down the stairs and subsequently dying”, according to the Metropolitan Police.
After Akomah fell, “Da Silva Pires didn’t try to help Nelly, he instead walked over her lifeless body on the stairs and left the house with her handbag.”
Much-loved: retired nurse Nelly Akomah
Detectives were able to identify Da Silva Pires after CCTV caught him using his victim’s bank card to buy smartphones, children’s bedding and power tools.
His DNA was also found under her fingernails, from the struggle as she tried to fight back.
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “The circumstances of Nelly’s death are truly devastating.
“Nelly was well-loved and highly respected in her community, she was a retired nurse and a treasurer for Tooting Methodist Church. She was an extraordinary mother, grandmother, sister, teacher, leader and friend to many, and she is dearly missed by all who knew her.
“Da Silva Pires crept into Nelly’s home at night, whilst he knew she was upstairs and awake. He intended to steal from her at any cost.
“Nelly was an elderly woman of small stature, who had only ever shown him kindness and trust. Instead of fleeing when he was discovered by Nelly, he violently confronted her which resulted in her falling down the stairs and dying.
“Da Silva Pires is an abhorrent man, whose greed and desire to escape responsibility for his actions resulted in him killing Nelly.”
In a statement from the Akomah family after the sentencing, they said: “The past 17 months have been an unimaginable ordeal for us. We have endured grief, heartbreak, and the long process of seeking justice.
“We want to thank the police and everyone who worked so hard to ensure that Nelly’s voice was heard.
“No punishment can ever bring our mother, grandmother, sister, friend and mentor Nelly back, or fill the void her absence has left in our lives.
“We will forever cherish our memories with the matriarch of our family and community, whose life was taken far too soon.
“Nelly found joy in serving and helping those around her. A church leader with a 30-plus year nursing career, she cherished her life, faith, family and friends.
“Nelly brought compassion and care to everyone she came across in her life and was looking forward to celebrating her 77th birthday with more energy and vivacity than ever.
“Hugo Da Silva Pires is a heartless individual. He deliberately preyed on an elderly woman who trusted him in her home as a tradesman.
“The manslaughter conviction can never quantify the severity of this crime, and the lasting impact that Da Silva Pires’ callous motivations will have on the many, many people who loved Nelly.
Guilty: the killer’s girlfriend and accomplice, Catiana Feliciano
“We hope that this sentencing serves as a message that such senseless violence and greed has no place in our society.”
Before he entered the house on the night of his crime, Da Silva Pires had cut the wires to the CCTV system so he would not be captured on the footage.
He entered a shipping address in the Azores for the items he bought on Nelly’s bank card – although he put an address of Thornton Heath for an iPhone he attempted to buy. He eventually discarded the bank cards at Clapham Junction station. He also got rid of his mobile phone, which his girlfriend Feliciano, helped him to do.
The pair were identified quickly and tracked to Stanstead Airport, where they were arrested before they could flee the country.
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