A 22-year-old Nigerian man who claimed he had fled his homeland to escape anti-gay persecution has been jailed for five years after he raped a woman he offered a lift to
A Nigerian asylum seeker who claimed to be gay but then raped a woman has been sentenced to serve five years in prison in the Republic of Ireland.
Kenneth Udeh entered Ireland in 2009 and applied for asylum, claiming he had been persecuted because of his Christian faith in Nigeria.
However when that bid to be accepted as a refugee was rejected he then reapplied, claiming that he was a homosexual fleeing homophobic persecution.
That too was rejected.
But despite that claim, a court has found him guilty of raping a woman in the early hours of 12 September in 2014.
The court heard that the woman had been outside a pub in Waterford City, Munster county, when she had gotten chatting to a group of men who were smoking.
When she said goodbye to the men and went to leave Udeh, who had been with the group of men, offered her a lift home.
She agreed and Udeh lead her to a place where he claimed to have parked his car.
However the woman told the court that the next thing she remembered was finding herself on the ground with Udeh on top of her with his trousers down.
The woman told the court that she had told Udeh to stop but he raped her without a condom and did not stop until a local man who was leaving work shouted at him.
Udeh fled and was chased by the man and a passing taxi driver while a female passer-by comforted the victim until police arrived on the scene.
Udeh was able to evade the men who were chasing him but the police were able to track him to a nearby hostel.
Udeh initially denied raping the woman but pleaded guilty when he was presented with the forensic evidence against him.
Despite being sentenced for the rape Udeh is still appealing the rejection of his refugee application to Ireland’s Refugee Appeals Tribunal.
Justice Patrick McCarthy noted that the victim did not feel Udeh should be allowed to remain in the country but said that was not a matter for his court to decide.
Source: GAYSTAR NEWS