Man jailed for raping intoxicated teenager

By Claire Henry

A man who raped an intoxicated seventeen-year-old has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.

The Central Criminal Court heard that that Jibola Moses Akanni (27) of St Laurence Drive, Drogheda, Co Louth, was found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault at an apartment on Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1, on February 15, 2018.

He has 28 previous convictions from both Ireland and the UK relating to road traffic matters, as well as convictions for theft, public order, and handling stolen property.

Passing sentence today, Mr Justice David Keane commended the injured party in this case in the manner in which she conducted herself through the trial and wished her well for the future.

Judge Keane said the aggravating factors in this case were the extended nature of the ordeal while the injured party was barely conscious, the disparity in the age of both parties and that she was an intoxicated and vulnerable person at the time.

The judge set a headline sentence of nine years for each of the rape charges and four years for the sexual assault charge.

The judge said that a limited amount of mitigation can be granted for Akanni’s cooperation with the gardaí, and with regard to his previous conviction, “the best that can be said is that they are not for this type of offending.”

He stated that “no credit can be given for a guilty plea, as none was forthcoming, and he does not accept the jury’s verdict, nor has remorse been shown.”

Judge Keane noted that the probation report placed Akanni at high risk of sexual or violent reoffending.

He accepted letters handed to the court by Akanni’s parents, who spoke of his good and finer qualities.

Judge Keane sentenced Akanni to eight and a half years on each of the two rape counts and three and a half years for the charge of sexual assault all of which are to run concurrently and backdated to November when he went into custody.

With regards to rehabilitation, the judge said, “There is no prospect of his engagement in sexual offending courses and there is no realistic hope of promoting rehabilitation, so I will not suspend any part of the sentence.”

The judge said, “In order to protect the public from the risk of him sexually reoffending, I will place him under the supervision of the Probation Services for two years post-release.”

He instructed that  Akanni carry out all directions that the Probation Services deemed necessary.

At a previous hearing, Garda Orla Cashel told Rebecca Smith, BL, prosecuting, that the injured party travelled to Dublin to attend a concert.

When she arrived at the venue with her friends, she was refused entry as she was underage.

While she was waiting outside the venue, she met a male whom she had met before.

He invited her and her two friends to an apartment where he was staying, which was next door to the venue.

Here she met Akanni. The group listened to music and drank.

The court heard that the injured party attempted one more time to enter the venue but was again refused.

She did not want to ruin the night for her friends and told them to go to the concert and that she would wait in the apartment.

The injured party was upset that she could not get into the venue, and Akanni held a bottle of alcohol to her lips and told her to drink.

The injured party said she was tired and was going to go to sleep.

She complained that she was lightheaded, and again Akanni held the bottle to her lips, and he then turned off the lights in the bedroom where she was.

Gda Cashel said that Akanni then asked her what she had done sexually and if she had had sex with her boyfriend, to which she said “no” and stated that she was “only 17”.

At this time, she was fully dressed and unable to keep her eyes open and was not able to speak.

Akanni then put his penis in her mouth.

He then removed her trousers and underwear and put his mouth on her genital area.

A short time later she felt pressure and pain in her vagina.

The court heard that the woman’s next memory was of being taken to the Emergency Room in an ambulance by her friends.

They had returned to the apartment and noticed that her trousers were on inside out.

The girl also began to vomit and was unable to stand up.

Her friends brought her to the bathroom and then noticed that her underwear was also on incorrectly and stained.

She was examined in a sexual assault treatment unit.

Akanni was identified using CCTV and documents relating to the rented accommodation where he had stayed.

He was arrested and interviewed four times, but nothing of value was obtained.

Gda Cashel agreed with Ciaran O’Loughlin, SC, defending, that his client has no previous convictions for this type of offending.

Mr O’Loughlin said Akanni came to Ireland when he was two years old and is now 27 years of age.

Counsel said there was no violence or threats made; only the act itself.