UK to deport ‘dangerous’ rapist Ekene Anoliefo to Nigeria

A rapist who claimed deporting him would breach his human rights will be sent home to Nigeria after losing an appeal against the order.

Mr Justice Blake said the public interest in getting “dangerous sexual predator” Ekene Anoliefo, 38, out of the country far outweighed his right to respect for his private life.

Anoliefo was jailed for 12 years, later reduced to nine, in May 2009 after he was convicted of the brutal rape of a 19-year-old, who he held captive in his car after pretending to help her.

The Nigerian computing student drove the young woman to his Aberdeen flat, forced her onto a bed and raped her in what the sentencing judge described as “particularly brutal and degrading” circumstances.

He was ordered for deportation last December and now, after an appeal to the Upper Tribunal, Immigration and Asylum Chamber, has failed in his human rights bid to be allowed to stay.

Anoliefo’s lawyers had argued that he had lawfully lived in the UK for four years as a student and had hoped to be granted indefinite leave to remain once he finished his studies and found a job.

But rejecting his appeal, Mr Justice Blake said a more substantial private life would need to be shown in a case where someone had not previously had indefinite leave to stay in the country.

“It is unfortunate that permission to appeal was granted, since this appeal is wholly without merit,” he said.

“It is obvious that, where a claimant has been convicted of rape and the conviction upheld on appeal, no properly self-directing judge could have done other than to have dismissed the appeal on the basis that the public interest manifestly outweighed it.” 

Naijaurban