A Nigerian postgraduate student in the United Kingdom, Chiemka Okoronta, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping a 17-year-old girl in Bradford.
The BBC reports that Okoronta and the victim were passengers on a night bus that in Morley, Leeds, on March 25, 2025.
According to evidence presented at Bradford Crown Court on Monday, Okoronta offered to share a taxi to Bradford with the teenager, who had no means of getting home after her phone battery had gone dead.
Prosecutors said the vehicle, instead went to Okoronta’s flat, where he lured the girl inside, locked her in a bathroom and raped her.
The victim managed to flee after the assault and used a passerby’s phone to contact the police.
Okoronta has been convicted on multiple rape counts and will also serve three additional years on extended licence, and will be placed on the sex offenders register for life.
The court heard he was likely to be deported to Nigeria after serving his sentence.
In a victim impact statement, the victim said the attack had caused flashbacks and nightmares, describing how the incident “turned my life upside down.”
She said, “This incident has turned my life upside down.
“I have flashbacks of what happened to me, I have nightmares – one minute I feel fine and the next minute it all comes back.”
Judge Sophie McKone referred to Okoronta as a “dangerous sexual predator” who deliberately isolated the teenager to assault her.
The West Yorkshire Police commended the victim for reporting the incident immediately.
Det Con Sue Sutcliffe said, “I would like to commend the victim in this case for her immense bravery in coming forward straight away to report this horrific crime.
“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to please report it to us so we can take action.”
