An ‘aggressive’ London Underground passenger killed an Elizabeth Line worker with a single punch to the face after missing his train, a court heard.
Ayodele Jamgbadi, 29, of Kingston Road, Ilford, is accused of murdering ‘adored’ father Jorge Ortega, 61, with ‘significant force’.
On December 4, 2024, the defendant allegedly kicked an advertisement frame when he missed his train from Ilford station to Stratford at around 8.45pm.
Inner London Crown Court heard Mr Ortega and two other Transport for London (TfL) colleagues then intervened and tried to calm the irate passenger down.
However, Jamgbadi floored the 61-year-old with one punch, knocking him unconscious after he hit his head on the concrete platform.
Mr Ortega was taken to hospital but died of a severe traumatic brain injury two days later, the court heard.
Jamgbadi was initially charged with causing grievous bodily harm but that was upgraded to murder following Mr Ortega’s death.
Judge Benedict Kelleher told the jury that Jamgbadi is not fit to enter a plea, and they therefore have to determine whether he did the act.
Ayodele Jamgbadi, 29, of Kingston Road, Ilford, is accused of murdering ‘adored’ father Jorge Ortega (pictured), 61, with ‘significant force’
On December 4, 2024, the defendant allegedly kicked an advertisement frame when he missed his train from Ilford station to Stratford at around 8.45pm
Inner London Crown Court heard Mr Ortega and two other Transport for London colleagues then intervened and tried to calm the irate passenger down
The key questions they have to consider is whether Jamgbadi threw the punch and whether it was a significant cause of Mr Ortega’s death.
He said: ‘He is unfit to plead which means that he is not mentally well enough to stand trial and he is in hospital for that reason.
Patrick Dennis, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Ortega was on duty at the time of the incident.
He said three TfL staff members, including Mr Ortega, had approached a man on the platform after being alerted by banging noises.
He said: ‘The defendant arrived at the railway station. CCTV shows that he missed the train heading into London to Stratford.
‘After he missed the train, the defendant effectively kicked an advert frame.
‘As a result Mr Ortega and two other staff members came out of the office and they effectively tried to calm Mr Jamgbadi down.
‘As Mr Ortega retreated backward, the defendant punched him once in the face and that caused Mr Ortega to fall onto the platform and strike his head and that rendered him unconscious.
Patrick Dennis, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Ortega was on duty at the time of the incident
He said three TfL staff members, including Mr Ortega, had approached a man on the platform after being alerted by banging noises
‘The defendant displayed aggressive behaviour.’
Mr Dennis described what the CCTV images showed: ‘They don’t get particularly close – the defendant then started to walk away from them but he then turned around and started to walk toward Jorge Ortega, who started to back away.
‘It is at that stage he punched Jorge Ortega with significant force.’
Mr Dennis said an ambulance arrived and Mr Ortega was taken to hospital but ’48 hours after the incident he tragically died’.
Following his arrest, Jamgbadi told British Transport Police officers: ‘I punched him in the face, I literally punched him in the face.
‘What are you going to do about it, are you going to nick me?’
Mr Ortega, a customer experience assistant, was with colleagues in an office on the platform when they heard ‘banging noises’ from outside, the court heard.
They went outside and saw Jamgbadi kicking an advertising frame and asked him if he was OK.
Mr Ortega’s co-worker, Mohammed Alim, said the man ‘seemed a bit disturbed, a bit angry and just said “Who’s got a problem?”‘.
Mr Alim told the court: ‘Within a split second he swung a punch on Jorge’s left-hand side. The attacker used his right hand.
‘It struck Jorge near the temple area. The impact of the punch was with so much force that I saw something fly out of his mouth.
‘He was floored. He hit the back of his head.’
Mr Alim said he feared the man was going to attack Mr Ortega again when he was on the floor, telling the court ‘he went to Jorge’.
Mr Alim said ‘he looked at Jorge and he looked like he was going to attack him but I said ‘what are you doing?’
The attacker then turned to Mr Alim, who said he thought he ‘stopped him’ from doing anything else.
Mr Alim said: ‘I raised my hands up in a defensive motion and said “take it easy”.
‘Something came to [the attacker’s] head and he just turned back and walked off.’
Mr Ortega’s co-workers and members of the public carried him in to an office where he was ‘going in and out of consciousness’, Mr Alim recalled.
The attacker then moved away after Mr Alim said something to him and towards a third member of staff, before he left the scene, the court heard.
The man then pushed through the barriers without paying in order to leave the station.
The jury were told that pathologist Dr Michael Parsons concluded: ‘The overall pattern of head injury is entirely consistent with a substantial impact to the back of the head caused by a heavy fall from a standing height.
‘There was bruising and a laceration to the right eyebrow and adjacent cheek which are entirely consistent with a punch to the face.’
Mr Ortega was a member of the RMT union and worked as a customer experience assistant for MTREL, which runs the Elizabeth Line.
Mick Lynch, who was RMT’s general secretary at the time, expressed his condolences to Mr Ortega’s family after the attack.
Then-prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said the incident was ‘absolutely tragic’.
In a tribute, Mr Ortega’s son said: ‘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.’
The trial continues.
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