A migrant found guilty of raping a teenager in North Wales, who had previously avoided deportation because a tribunal ruled it would breach his human rights, has been jailed for 17 years.

Nigerian national Gift Oladele, 24, who was born in Italy, was convicted after dragging a 19-year-old woman into woodland in Wrexham and telling her “this will teach you a lesson not to trust strangers” after the attack.

The predator was already known to the authorities, having been jailed for two years in 2022 for the false imprisonment of a woman in Manchester. In that case, Judge Conrad KC told him: “There is ample material here for me to find that you are a dangerous offender.” He added: “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 claimed he had never visited Nigeria and would face “insurmountable obstacles” if sent there. The judge acknowledged the severity of the first 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.”

However, 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 that refusing his human rights claim would result in a “breach of the Appellant’s protected rights.” This decision allowed Oladele to remain in the UK, where he went on to commit the rape in Wrexham.

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.”

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