A Nigerian migrant who raped a teenager after using human rights laws to dodge deportation for a previous sexually motivated attack has been jailed for 17 years. Gift Oladele, 24, violently raped a 19-year-old woman on an isolated footpath in Wrexham, Wales, as she was walking home from a night out on September 7, 2025.
Oladele introduced himself to the victim and her friend in the city centre and insisted on walking her home, claiming he was heading in the same direction. After the 'disturbing and terrifying' attack, which left the victim 'fearing for her life', he warned her not to report it to the police and said: 'This will teach you a lesson not to trust strangers.'
Oladele, a Nigerian national born in Italy who reportedly runs a cleaning business, was arrested hours later, charged, and remanded into custody. He denied rape and sexual assault, claiming the victim consented, but a jury found him guilty at Mold Crown Court in March. At Caernarfon Crown Court today, he was sentenced to a total of 25 years, including 17 years in prison, with an extended licence period of eight years. He was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order to protect the victim for life.
Judge Simon Mills called Oladele's time in court giving evidence 'a performance where you displayed an extraordinary level of arrogance and entitlement'. During sentencing, the judge told him: 'You have absolutely no remorse. You are a dangerous offender.'
Oladele was under a suspended sentence for drug dealing, the prosecution said. He had also been on police bail for a similar rape allegation in Manchester in November 2024, which is 'still being considered'. The judge added another eight years to his licence period, bringing his total sentence to 25 years. Judge Mills said the Wrexham victim had no reason to have any inkling about Oladele's 'red flags' after he adopted 'a mask of friendliness'.
He was found to have sought out videos depicting rape and researched stories about rape. Prosecutor James Coutts said at his sentencing hearing: 'It was almost as if what he did was acting out a rape fantasy.' During the attack, 6ft4 Oladele called himself 'big Mike', put his hand over his victim's mouth, pushed her down a path into woods, and raped her. The woman said Oladele told her she liked what he was doing to her 'as if justifying it in his head'. She told police: 'It felt as if he had done it before. The way he did things and the way he handled me made it feel like it wasn't the first time.'
Speaking about the horrific and violent attack, during which Oladele held a rock in his hand, the victim told the judge: 'I thought I was going to die.' The 'dangerous predator' was already known to authorities, having been jailed for two years in 2022 for the false imprisonment of a woman in Manchester. Oladele followed the woman before running after her and grabbing her from behind as she walked alone on a path to an optician's appointment in Middleton, Greater Manchester, on the morning of May 17, 2022. The woman screamed and feared Oladele was going to rape her as he kept hold of her for 'what felt like a lifetime', Manchester Crown Court heard at the time. She managed to break free of his grip and he fled the scene.
When Oladele was arrested the next day and questioned by police, he initially said he 'just wanted to get it on with her' and to 'chat her up'. He was jailed for two years after being found guilty of false imprisonment, with the judge telling him he had an 'inappropriate attitude towards women' and a 'sense of entitlement'. Before his sentencing, he had written a letter to the court admitting he was guilty and that he was under the influence of cannabis at the time, but the judge did not take his late admission as a sign his attitude towards women had changed. The judge told him: 'There is ample material here for me to find that you are a dangerous offender. I regard you, having seen you give evidence, as a young man who is clever, devious and manipulative.'
Following his first prison sentence, the Home Office ordered his deportation in January 2023, but Oladele successfully appealed the decision through the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. The court ruled that removing him would violate Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to respect for private and family life. During the appeal, Oladele, who came to the UK when he was 11, claimed he had never visited Nigeria and would face 'insurmountable obstacles' if sent there. His girlfriend of two years said she would not relocate to Nigeria with him, and his mother said she would not be able to financially support him.
The judge acknowledged the severity of the 2022 attack but determined that Oladele's rehabilitation outweighed the public interest in his removal. Judge Simpson said: 'The offence that the Appellant committed was very serious and I find that there is a strong public interest in deporting and excluding foreign criminals, especially one who has committed a frightening and public assault.' But the judge ultimately ruled in Oladele's favour, stating: 'However, I have found that the factors on the Appellant's side of the balance sheet, in particular the fact that he would be a complete outsider should he relocate to Nigeria with attendant risks, that he has a developed private life having grown up in the United Kingdom and that he has engaged positively in a process of rehabilitation and that this has had the impact of reducing the risk of reoffending, are just sufficiently compelling to outweigh those on the Respondent's side.' The tribunal concluded that 'continuation of the deportation order is not proportionate under Article 8 ECHR' and refusing his human rights claim would result in a 'breach of the Appellant's protected rights'.
That decision allowed Oladele to remain in the UK, where he went on to commit the rape in Wrexham just three years later. Responding following his latest conviction, a Home Office spokesperson said: 'This is an absolutely horrific case, and our thoughts are with the victim of this heinous criminal. Foreign nationals who commit crimes should be in zero doubt that we will aim to remove them from the UK at the earliest opportunity. The Home Secretary has announced sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration, which will make the UK less attractive for illegal migrants and make it easier to remove them.'
Speaking about the horrific rape after his sentencing today, Wrexham Chief Inspector Caroline Mullen-Hurst said: 'Oladele is a dangerous predator who left a young woman fearing for her life as he subjected her to a disturbing and terrifying attack as she walked home following a night with her friends. He demonstrated no remorse for his crimes after forcing her to relive the traumatic experience through a trial. I would like to praise the dignity and courage she has shown throughout the investigation, and for her bravery in reporting this incident to us. Thankfully, today's sentence has removed Oladele from the streets, preventing any further harm to anyone else. I hope it reassures the public that North Wales Police is committed to eradicating all incidents of violence against women and girls and is working tirelessly to bring perpetrators of sexual abuse to justice. I would urge any victim of sexual assault to get in touch with us. You will be listened to, your report will be taken seriously and fully investigated. We are here to support you.'
