A Nigerian postgraduate student in the United Kingdom, Chiemka Okoronta, is to be deported after serving a 10-year jail term for raping a teenage girl in Leeds.
Okoronta, 29, was convicted by the Bradford Crown Court for sexually assaulting the victim after deceiving her into following him to his apartment in Morley, West Yorkshire.
According to a BBC report on Monday, the incident occurred on March 25 when both Okoronta and the teenager were stranded after a night bus service abruptly stopped en route to Bradford.
The court heard that the victim’s phone battery had died, and Okoronta offered to share a taxi to Bradford Interchange. However, the taxi was diverted to his flat, where he lured her inside, locked her in a toilet, and raped her.
After the assault, the victim escaped and raised the alarm using a passerby’s phone to contact the police.
In her victim impact statement, the teenager said the incident had “turned her life upside down,” adding that she continues to sufferUK-based Nigerian student to be deported after 10-year jail for rape
A Nigerian postgraduate student in the United Kingdom, Chiemka Okoronta, is to be deported after serving a 10-year jail term for raping a teenage girl in Leeds.
Okoronta, 29, was convicted by the Bradford Crown Court for sexually assaulting the victim after deceiving her into following him to his apartment in Morley, West Yorkshire.
According to a BBC report on Monday, the incident occurred on March 25 when both Okoronta and the teenager were stranded after a night bus service abruptly stopped en route to Bradford.
The court heard that the victim’s phone battery had died, and Okoronta offered to share a taxi to Bradford Interchange.
However, the taxi was diverted to his flat, where he lured her inside, locked her in a toilet, and raped her.
After the assault, the victim escaped and raised the alarm using a passerby’s phone to contact the police.
In her victim impact statement, the teenager said the incident had “turned her life upside down,” adding that she continues to suffer flashbacks and nightmares.
Sentencing him, Judge Sophie McKone described Okoronta as a “dangerous sexual predator,” noting that he had planned the attack from the moment he offered to share the taxi.
“You concocted a reason for her to come into your flat, where you could rape her,” the judge said.
Okoronta, who hails from Nigeria, will also spend an additional three years on extended licence after his prison term and will be placed on the sex offenders register for life.
West Yorkshire Police Detective Constable Sue Sutcliffe commended the victim for her courage, urging other survivors of sexual assault to report such crimes.
“I would like to commend the victim for her immense bravery in coming forward straight away to report this horrific crime,” Sutcliffe said.
The case adds to a growing list of Nigerians abroad convicted for sexual offences.
In 2024, another Nigerian, Timilehin Olatunji, was jailed for 10 years for a similar crime in the UK after his victim recorded audio evidence of the assault. flashbacks and nightmares.
Sentencing him, Judge Sophie McKone described Okoronta as a “dangerous sexual predator,” noting that he had planned the attack from the moment he offered to share the taxi.
“You concocted a reason for her to come into your flat, where you could rape her,” the judge said.
Okoronta, who hails from Nigeria, will also spend an additional three years on extended licence after his prison term and will be placed on the sex offenders register for life.
West Yorkshire Police Detective Constable Sue Sutcliffe commended the victim for her courage, urging other survivors of sexual assault to report such crimes.
“I would like to commend the victim for her immense bravery in coming forward straight away to report this horrific crime,” Sutcliffe said.
The case adds to a growing list of Nigerians abroad convicted for sexual offences.
In 2024, another Nigerian, Timilehin Olatunji, was jailed for 10 years for a similar crime in the UK after his victim recorded audio evidence of the assault.