A man from Nigeria, previously convicted for a sexually motivated assault, avoided deportation to safeguard his family life. Gift Oladele, aged 24 and Nigerian by nationality, was recently found guilty of raping a 19-year-old woman in a wooded area in Wales last September.

In December 2022, Oladele was sentenced to two years in prison for unlawfully confining a woman who feared a sexual assault after he attacked her in broad daylight in Manchester. Despite a deportation order issued by the Home Office in 2023, Oladele successfully challenged it, leading to the subsequent rape incident as reported by North Wales Live.

During the 2022 trial, the judge noted Oladele’s inappropriate views on women and entitlement, labeling him a dangerous offender due to his manipulative nature. Despite the Home Office’s deportation order on January 10, 2023, Oladele contested it on human rights grounds. His appeal to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal on June 24, 2023, was upheld, citing a violation of his rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Oladele forcibly dragged the young woman into the woods in Wrexham last year, where he subjected her to a violent assault, warning her not to trust strangers. Following his recent conviction, facing a lengthy prison term, the Home Office condemned the case as appalling, highlighting his successful appeal against deportation after the initial offense.

Born in Italy but raised in Nigeria, Oladele entered the UK at 11 with his mother, residing illegally until 2018. He later obtained a residence card expiring in 2024. After the Manchester offense in November 2022, leading to a two-year prison sentence, his deportation was mandated under the UK Borders Act 2007.

Despite Oladele’s arguments about his private and family life in the UK, the Home Office pushed for deportation, citing his classification as a foreign criminal lacking integration. However, the tribunal found Oladele socially and culturally integrated, having spent significant time in the UK, attending school and college.

According to a probation officer’s letter dated October 27, 2023, Oladele posed a low risk of reoffending and had engaged positively in rehabilitation efforts. The tribunal, after evaluating all aspects, ruled in favor of Oladele, deeming the continuation of the deportation order disproportionate under Article 8 ECHR due to his established life in the UK.

The Home Office expressed deep concern over the case, reaffirming its commitment to removing foreign criminals promptly. Oladele is awaiting sentencing for the rape crime next month.