The Court of Appeal in England has upheld the sentence and increased the jail time of Kelechukwu Orji, a 48-year-old rapist who fled to Nigeria after being convicted of multiple sex crimes.
A Crown Court at Lewes, a county town of East Sussex, England, had on 22 November 2023 convicted Mr Orji of two counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, one count of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault.
After his conviction that day, the trial judge ordered a pre-sentence report to consider whether the convict represented a significant risk of serious harm from the commission of further specified offences.
The judge then adjourned the case to the following day and released Mr Orji from detention to allow him to put his affairs in order before sentencing and imprisonment.
But the convict failed to appear in court the next day. The court later found that he fled England on the evening of 22 November 2023 on a flight to Nigeria, where he is now believed to be hiding.
However, the court proceeded on 21 February 2024 to sentence Mr Orji in absentia as follows: count 4 (rape) nine years’ imprisonment; count 7 (attempted rape) five years’ imprisonment; count 8 (sexual assault) three years’ imprisonment; count 9 (assault by penetration) five years’ imprisonment; count 10 (rape) 10 years’ imprisonment.
All of the sentences were ordered to run concurrently. The total sentence was ten years’ imprisonment.
The then Solicitor General for England and Wales, Robert Courts, was dissatisfied with the judgment, saying the sentence was unduly lenient. He then filed an appeal under section 36 of the country’s Criminal Justice Act 1988.
In their unanimous judgment on 13 June 2024, Lord Justice William Davis, Mrs Justice McGowan, and Mrs Justice Cockerill agreed with the solicitor general and consequently increased Mr Orji’s jail term from 10 to 15 years.
The court criticised the original sentence, saying it failed to reflect the severity of Mr Orji’s crimes.
The judges noted that Mr Orji’s purported good character was of little weight, given the gravity of the offences, and that the sentence needed to be increased to ensure public confidence in the judicial system.
But the convict is evading justice, having escaped to his home country, Nigeria, where he is believed to be hiding.
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Mr Orji, his victim and multiple rape crimes
Mr Orji went to the United Kingdom in 2017. While there, he worked for His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the UK’s tax, payments and customs authority. He is married with three children. His wife works as a nurse, and the family resides in South London.
Both the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal heard that Mr Orji subjected his victim, identified in court documents as “AB”, to a “campaign of sexual abuse” over several weeks, including rape, attempted rape, and assault.
AB was in her early twenties at the time of the offences. She travelled from Nigeria to the United Kingdom in September 2020 to work as a house help for Mr Orji’s family.
However, according to court documents, Mr Orji took advantage of her vulnerability and subjected her to a series of rape attacks. AB stated that before her arrival, Mr Orji sent her a message which she thought was sexually suggestive. However, she still considered the offer and travelled to the United Kingdom.
The appeal court judgment gave a vivid account of Mr Orji’s multiple sexual assaults on his victim.
The court said, “The first occasion on which AB was raped (count 4) occurred when the offender came into her bedroom late at night. He pulled her from her bed and dragged her downstairs. He forced her into the living room, where he made her bend over. AB put up a struggle. Eventually, the offender was able to pull down her leggings. He held her from behind while he raped her vaginally. AB told him to stop. The offender ignored her. He ejaculated.
“The offender attempted to rape AB (count 7) shortly after the first incident. AB had come downstairs for something to eat. The offender took hold of AB and threw her to the floor. She was able to get up and run to the toilet. The offender pulled her out of the toilet. He said: “You’re ready for me.” For some 15 minutes, he tried to remove her clothing, saying things such as “Have sex with me” and “I want to eat your pussy”. Eventually, the offender gave up, and AB was able to go to her room.
“The remaining counts reflected a single continuing incident. It began in the kitchen. The offender’s wife had gone to work. The offender asked AB to come and make him some food. When she came into the kitchen, the offender pressed her breasts over her clothing (count cool. He then grabbed hold of AB. He said that she had to let him have sex with her. She struggled and begged him not to do it. As he held her down, the offender digitally penetrated AB (count 9).
“Thereafter, the offender pulled her into the living room. AB repeatedly said, “Stop, I don’t want this”. The offender ignored AB, who was struggling and trying to bite the offender. He held her down and raped her vaginally (count 10). He ejaculated inside her.
“AB had downloaded a recording app onto her telephone after the first incident of rape. She audio-recorded significant parts of this final incident.
“The offender had threatened AB that if she were to tell anybody about what had happened, she would not be safe in Nigeria when she returned home. AB did disclose something of what was happening to her boyfriend back in Nigeria. In October 2020, she contacted a support group for Nigerians in the United Kingdom. A member of the group contacted the police to say that they were concerned for the safety of AB. The address of the offender was given as the place where AB was living.
“On 29 October 2020, the police went to the address. They were able to speak to AB, who said that she was in danger because the offender was forcing himself on her. The offender was arrested the next day. In an interview, he made no comment to all questions. He was not charged with the offences until September 2022. His case at trial was that any sexual activity between him and AB was consensual.”
Because Mr Orji fled immediately after his conviction, the appeal court noted there was no pre-sentence report. However, the trial judge received seven letters from the rapist’s friends, work colleagues and a neighbour, speaking to his good character. He was described as a hard-working family man. One friend said he was humble and law-abiding.
Mr Orji’s victim, AB, made a personal statement to the court on 11 January 2024. “She said that the offences and their circumstances meant that she no longer trusted people,” the court quoted her as saying. “She found it difficult to make friendships. She could not concentrate at college and would become upset for no reason.
“AB said that she could not sleep. She suffered flashbacks. She said she blamed herself for what had happened. She had considered suicide. AB explained that she was still in the United Kingdom because she felt unable to return to Nigeria for fear of reprisals from the offender or his family. She was estranged from her own family in Nigeria. They had not wished the matter to be reported to the police.”
