One of Liverpool’s most enduring urban legends concerns Purple Aki, a man whose skin is so black that he apparently appears to be purple.

Purple Aki – aka Akinwale Arobieke – was convicted for the manslaughter of a boy 20 years ago but the conviction was quashed by the court of appeal. 

He has also received a Sexual Offences Prevention Order that prevents him from touching the biceps of boys, a bizarre predilection of his that has become famous throughout the North West.

As such, Purple Aki has attracted an almost mythical notoriety and has become a kind of Merseyside bogeyman, like the Candyman but less violent.