SMALL-BOAT MIGRANT WHO RAPED WOMAN AFTER SHE REFUSED TO MARRY HIM SO HE COULD STAY IN UK IS JAILED
A migrant who arrived in the UK via small boat and raped a woman after she refused to marry him so he could remain in the country has been sentenced to prison.Afeez Salau, aged 31, assaulted the woman at his flat in Lewisham in February 2024 after she declined his marriage proposal, citing concerns that his primary intent was to improve his immigration status.
Although they had discussed consent beforehand, Salau persisted and raped her, only stopping when she repeatedly struck his chest in an effort to force him away.
The following day, the woman sent him a message stating she did not consent to what had happened.
In her victim impact statement read at Southwark Crown Court, she shared that she felt 'numb for weeks' and struggled to find joy in simple activities like listening to music.
She also described feeling a 'sense of dread' while awaiting HIV test results.
She explained: 'This crime affected me psychologically and emotionally.
What happened is always on my mind.
I feel trapped in a cycle of blame that I did not ask for and do not deserve.
I am constantly disgusted by men.' On June 12, Salau was sentenced to five years in prison for rape but will serve only half that term.
He was also given a 10-year restraining order, will remain on the sex offenders registry indefinitely, and is likely to face deportation.
Judge Martyn Levitt stated: 'Throughout the trial, I listened carefully to the complainant.
She is a highly principled woman who approached your life cautiously.
She was uncertain about your immigration status and suspicious of your marriage intentions.
I have concluded that you are a manipulative man who does not respect a woman’s refusal.' The judge noted that Salau was fully aware of what consent entails and ignored her repeated refusals, including her physical attempts to push him away.
It was only after she repeatedly hit him that he finally stopped.
