UK court jails Nigerian 17 years for rape after attack on woman in Wales

A 20-year-old woman in Wales has spoken about the terror she experienced after a Nigerian man who offered to escort her home from a night out allegedly dragged her into a wooded area and raped her.

The woman, whose identity has been withheld, said she feared she would be killed during the September 7, 2025 attack in Wrexham.

The Daily Mail reported her account on Wednesday, months after Gift Oladele, 24, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for rape and sexual assault.

Oladele approached the woman as she was walking home and reportedly told her that he was heading in the same direction before offering to accompany her.

According to the victim, the journey changed when they reached an isolated location, where Oladele allegedly covered her mouth, overpowered her and forced her into nearby woods.

“He was a lot bigger than I was – I tried pushing him away, but he overpowered me,” she said.

“He was covering my mouth. I was trying to get his arm off me, but he wasn’t budging. That’s when he raped me violently.”

The woman said she entered what she described as “survival mode” after Oladele allegedly asked if it was her first experience of rape.

“My brain just switched into survival mode – it was weird. It was either I do what he says, and I get home to my mum, or he is going to kill me,” she said.

She alleged that Oladele struck her six times on the head and left bruises on her body.

She also recalled being subjected to a disturbing remark after the assault.

“When he finished, he turned around and said, ‘I think you’ve had enough now. At least you have been raped by someone good-looking’,” she said.

The victim said Oladele subsequently threatened to locate her if she went to the police and warned that he could photograph her and publish the images online.

Despite the threats, she told her parents about the incident after returning home at about 3.30am, prompting her father to contact the police.

“I felt numb. I was hysterical. My brain couldn’t figure out what had just happened,” she recalled.

Oladele was arrested the following day at his cousin’s residence in Wrexham. Investigators reportedly found that he had attempted to conceal a mobile phone, which police later examined and found contained searches relating to sexual attacks.

He was convicted at Mold Crown Court in March after denying the allegations and claiming that the sexual activity had been consensual.

At Caernarfon Crown Court in April, he was sentenced to 17 years behind bars, followed by an extended eight-year licence period, making a total sentence of 25 years.

The court also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a lifetime restraining order protecting the victim.

The case also revealed that Oladele was already on bail over another rape allegation in Manchester dating back to November 2024 when he attacked the woman in Wrexham. He had previously served a prison sentence in 2022 for a sexually motivated attack.

Oladele, a Nigerian citizen born in Italy, had also previously challenged attempts by UK authorities to deport him to Nigeria.

After his earlier prison term, he argued before an immigration tribunal that deportation would interfere with his right to private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The tribunal ruled that removing him would be disproportionate. Two subsequent appeals by the Home Office were also unsuccessful.

The latest victim’s mother questioned why her daughter’s rights appeared to receive less consideration.

“Where are my daughter’s rights? That’s what I want to know. She has the right to walk home after a night out without being raped,” she said.

Wrexham Chief Inspector Caroline Mullen-Hurst described Oladele as “a dangerous predator” and commended the victim for reporting the assault.

“He demonstrated no remorse for his crimes after forcing her to relive the traumatic experience through a trial,” Mullen-Hurst said.

The victim said the psychological and physical effects of the assault remained with her long after the attack, affecting even her ability to eat.

“There were numerous times a day when I would be hysterically crying because I didn’t want to be here anymore,” she said.