A Nigerian postgraduate student, Chiemka Okoronta, has been sentenced to ten years in prison in the United Kingdom for raping a 17-year-old girl after offering to share a taxi with her in Leeds.
The incident occurred on March 25 when the victim’s night bus terminated unexpectedly at Morley. With her phone battery dead and limited money, the teenager accepted Okoronta’s offer for a taxi ride, believing he was assisting her in getting home.
However, instead of helping, Okoronta directed the taxi to his residence on Morley Street, Bradford, where he deceived the young girl into entering his flat and raped her in a locked toilet.
The victim managed to escape shortly after the assault and alerted the police using a passer-by’s phone.
Following the trial at Bradford Crown Court, the 29-year-old was convicted on three counts of rape. He will serve his prison term plus an additional three years on extended licence and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life. The court further ruled that he will be deported to Nigeria upon completion of his sentence.
During sentencing, Judge Sophie McKone called Okoronta a “dangerous sexual predator,” emphasising that he deliberately preyed on a vulnerable young girl stranded late at night without a working phone and money.
In a statement to the court, the victim described how the attack has severely affected her life, saying she now suffers flashbacks, nightmares, and fear of public spaces.
Detective Constable Sue Sutcliffe commended the victim’s courage in reporting the crime immediately, urging other victims of sexual offences to come forward and seek help.
