The controversial story behind a Birmingham company selling merchandise on Liverpool 'bogeyman' Purple Aki

The notorious bodybuilder who became an urban myth after he was banned from touching people’s muscles.

Purple Aki, whose real name was Akinwale Arobieke, died in August. Not long after his death, Erdington-based firm Inferno Official began receiving requests for products in his likeness. The company, known for making lifelike romance dolls of celebrities, porn stars, influencers and even deceased partners, said demand for items linked to Arobieke grew rapidly online.

In response, Inferno created two products ahead of Black Friday and Christmas. The first is the “Purple Akidas Predator” football. The second is the “Purple W aki” doll head. The company said these items were not intended for romance but for “using and abusing the dolls with revenge in mind”.

Inferno Official boss Ben Stroud said the company was reacting to market pressure. “As a company we have always responded to customer demand. We kept seeing comments and messages about Purple Aki after he died. The phrase ‘he touched so many lives’ was trending on Twitter, so I asked a few Liverpool friends about him and was just amazed at the story. The requests for products suddenly made sense.”

Stroud said people had already been modifying existing dolls to look like Arobieke. “He is Liverpool’s bogeyman. I think all the stories which came out after he died were because his victims finally felt they could speak without fear of him turning up on their doorstep. Turns out there were hundreds of victims not the few he got prosecuted for.”

He added that motivations varied. “Some wanted a likeness of him to give a good kick in or to attack, but lots more wanted a Purple W Aki to send to friends as a joke or to use in mischievous ways. This is a very Scouse thing. They are known for their humour.”

He said creating a football version was an obvious step. “Liverpool is a football mad city. The Purple Akidas Predator football was a no brainer after we stumbled across one of the greatest product names in a generation.”

Stroud claimed the items are set to become darkly comic Christmas ornaments. “A Scouser’s house this Christmas and you might see a Purple Aki replacing the star or fairy on the tree or hanging as a bauble.”

So who was Purple Aki?

Arobieke first made national headlines in 1986 when he was jailed for 30 months for the involuntary manslaughter of 16 year old Gary Kelly, who died after jumping from a railway platform and being electrocuted.

Arobieke later won his appeal and received £35,000.

Throughout the 1990s he became an urban legend across Merseyside for approaching young men and asking to touch their muscles. In 2003 he was jailed for six years after being convicted of 15 charges including harassment and witness intimidation.

While in prison he was made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order banning him from touching men’s muscles, entering gyms or asking people to perform squats. Within six months he breached the order by touching a man’s biceps and was jailed again.

In 2010 he was sentenced to two and a half years for touching the muscles of a 16 year old boy, though he claimed he was set up. He was later arrested in 2015 over claims he harassed a young man on a train from Manchester.

His SOPO was eventually scrapped in 2016 when he won his appeal.

In 2022 he received a substantial payout after suing the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police for malicious prosecution and misfeasance in public office.

Arobieke, 64, died after being found unresponsive at an address in Toxteth. Police said his death was not suspicious and a file would be prepared for the coroner.

Originally from Crumpsall, he had a long held fascination with muscular physiques and spent years in and out of court over alleged breaches of the SOPO placed on him in 2006. He also made formal complaints against Greater Manchester Police, three of which were upheld after he accused officers of a witch hunt.

In 2013 he successfully defended himself at a harassment trial. He later instructed Liverpool firm James Murray Solicitors in a civil claim alleging he was targeted by two GMP officers from 2012 onward. He received a payout weeks before the trial was due to begin.

Those legal victories sit awkwardly alongside the offences for which he was jailed, creating a complicated legacy.

That tension is part of why Inferno’s move to turn his image into novelty merchandise has sparked such strong reactions.

To some it is dark humour. To others it looks like a company cashing in on a figure tied to trauma, controversy and a long line of courtroom battles.

Either way, the Purple Aki merchandise has become one of the most divisive product launches of the year.