A homeless man who bludgeoned a woman to death with a mallet after she let him stay in her £1.3m home is facing a life sentence. Victoria Adams, 37, was found dead in the bedroom of her Hammersmith apartment on February 9 after police were called to reports of a man trying to force his way inside.

She was discovered with a bin bag pulled over her head and a pillow placed on top. A post-mortem examination revealed she had suffered 10 blows to the back and side of her head from a mallet. Her killer, 39-year-old Apapale Adoum, had met her just three days earlier while living in a homeless shelter.

Ms Adams had initially offered him a place to stay but later left a note asking him to leave.

Adoum, of no fixed address, appeared at the Old Bailey today wearing a grey T-shirt and admitted to murder. He handed the court a document attempting to justify his actions with “derogatory comments” about Ms Adams, but the judge refused to read it aloud.

Interrupting Adoum’s rambling explanation in court, Judge Nigel Lickley KC told him: “I will sentence you on October 24, and on that day I will sentence you to life. The only issue is the minimum term you will serve.”

A spokesperson for the Met Police earlier told the court: “On Sunday, February 9 at 22.13hrs, police were called to a residential property in Coulter Road, following reports that a man was attempting to force entry into one of the flats.

“Officers arrived and having gained entry to the property found a woman, aged 36, who had sadly died.”