By Desire Emmanuel, with Agency Reports
A Nigerian student undergoing postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom, Chiemka Okoronta, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for raping a stranded 17-year-old teenager in Bradford, United Kingdom.
Okoronta and the teenage girl were on board a night bus service which unexpectedly terminated in Morley, Leeds, with both requiring transport home to Bradford.
He was said to have tricked her into sharing a taxi cab with him before luring her into his flat and sexually attacking her in a locked toilet, Bradford Crown Court was told on Monday.
Okoronta, who was convicted of multiple rape offences, was told he was likely to be deported to Nigeria following his sentence.
Okoronta must also serve three years on extended licence and his name will be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The court was told that the teenager’s phone battery died after alighting from the bus, with Okoronta offering to share a taxi to Bradford Interchange.
Prosecutor, Graham O’Sullivan, said the vehicle instead went to the man’s flat, with the teenager persuaded to go inside and subsequently locked inside a toilet.
Following the attack, the girl stopped a passer-by outside and used their phone to call police.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, the girl said: “This incident has turned my life upside down. I have flashbacks of what happened to me, I have nightmares – one minute I feel fine and the next minute it all comes back.”
Judge Sophie McKone told Okoronta: “I am satisfied that when you asked if she wanted to share your taxi to Bradford you formulated a plan that would get her back to your flat where you could rape her.
“You concocted a reason for her to come into your flat. You are, I am clear, a dangerous sexual predator.”
Detective Constable Sue Sutcliffe, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “I would like to commend the victim in this case for her immense bravery in coming forward straight away to report this horrific crime.
“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence, to please report it to us so we can take action.”
