After serving a 10-year prison sentence for raping a teenage girl in West Yorkshire, Chiemka Okoronta, a Nigerian postgraduate student residing in the UK, is scheduled to be deported.
The BBC said on Monday that the 29-year-old committed the crime after the teenager became stuck on a night bus in Morley, Leeds, on March 25 when they were both traveling back to Bradford.
According to court records, Okoronta lured the victim into his lodging and attacked her in a locked restroom after tricking her into taking a taxi with him.
The prosecution informed the Bradford Crown Court that Okoronta offered the adolescent a ride after her phone battery expired after she got off the bus.
But rather than going to Bradford Interchange as agreed, the taxi took a detour to his apartment, where he convinced her to enter before shutting her in and assaulting her.
Following the attack, the victim was able to flee, stopped a bystander, and called the police using their phone.
In her ruling, Judge Sophie McKone called Okoronta a “dangerous sexual predator,” pointing out that he had planned the assault.
The judge declared, “I am satisfied that you had already devised a plan to get her back to your flat, where you could rape her, when you asked if she wanted to share your taxi to Bradford.”
“You made up an excuse for her to enter your apartment. I am certain that you are a dangerous sexual predator,” McKone continued.
After serving his jail sentence, the court mandated that Okoronta, a native of Nigeria, serve an extra three years on an extended license.
In addition, he will be deported after serving his entire term and put on the sex offenders register for life.
The adolescent stated, “This incident has turned my life upside down,” in a victim impact statement that was presented to the court. I experience flashbacks to my past experiences. I have nightmares; one moment I’m okay, and the next it all comes back.
The survivor was commended by West Yorkshire Police Detective Constable Sue Sutcliffe for her bravery in coming forward.
“I want to thank the victim for her incredible courage in reporting this terrible act right away. In order for us to take the proper measures, I implore anyone who has experienced sexual abuse to report it to us,” Sutcliffe stated.
