Recalled memory Elizabeth line worker died after being punched with “significant force”, jury told

A jury at Inner London Crown Court has heard that an Elizabeth line railway worker died after being punched in the face by a passenger at a station in east London.

Jorge Ortega, 61, sustained a severe traumatic brain injury after striking his head on the concrete platform at Ilford station on 4 December 2024. He died two days later.

Ayodele Jamgbadi, 30, of Kingston Road, Ilford, is charged with Ortega’s murder. The court was told on Tuesday that Jamgbadi has been ruled unfit to plead or stand trial due to mental illness, and remains in hospital. As a result, the proceedings are being conducted as a “trial of the facts”, in which jurors must determine only whether Jamgbadi carried out the act that led to Ortega’s death, and whether it was a significant contributing cause — without reaching a formal verdict of guilt.

Prosecutor Patrick Dennis told the court that Jamgbadi was arrested the day after the incident and told officers: “I punched him in the face… Are you going to nick me then?”

According to the prosecution, Ortega was one of three station staff who approached Jamgbadi after hearing banging noises and observing him kicking an advertising frame on the platform. CCTV footage presented to the court showed Jamgbadi initially walking away from the staff before turning back toward Ortega and punching him “with significant force,” Dennis said.

Ortega’s colleague, Mohammed Alim, testified that he saw the punch land near Ortega’s temple with such force that “something” flew from his mouth on impact. Ortega fell backward, striking the back of his head, and was carried into a station office by colleagues and members of the public. Alim said Ortega drifted in and out of consciousness before he was taken for medical treatment.

A pathologist, Dr Michael Parsons, told the court that Ortega’s head injury was consistent with a substantial impact to the back of the head caused by a fall from standing height.

The RMT union has said Ortega was one of its members, employed as a customer experience assistant by MTR Elizabeth line, the operator of the line.