Gift Oladele Jailed 17 Years for Wrexham Woods Rape, Victim Suffers Nightmares
Gift Oladele, 24, from Manchester, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of an 18-year-old woman in Wrexham in September last year. A judge in Caernarfon described Oladele's actions as "truly depraved", noting he posed an exceptionally high risk to young women and displayed no remorse.
Oladele was convicted at Mold Crown Court in March after accosting the victim as she walked home from a night out. Prosecutor James Coutts detailed how Oladele, initially appearing "friendly and flirtatious", accompanied the woman before forcibly pulling her into a secluded wooded area and carrying out a violent sexual assault.
The court heard the victim, who was "completely sober", was left "terrified" and later threatened by Oladele, who warned he would "find her and harm her" if she reported the incident, and threatened to post photographs online. She immediately informed her parents upon arriving home, leading to Oladele's arrest the following day at a relative's house in Wrexham.
During the investigation, officers discovered Oladele had attempted to conceal a mobile phone containing searches for sexual attacks, suggesting a "fascination in forced sexual abuse and rape." It also emerged that Oladele had a prior conviction in 2022 for a sexually-motivated assault in Manchester and was out on bail for a separate rape allegation from November 2024, also in Manchester.
In her victim impact statement, the 18-year-old described enduring nightly nightmares that Oladele has tracked her down, stating, "I'm petrified." She detailed the mental and emotional toll, including needing HIV prevention medication and experiencing lasting damage. "I feel ashamed, and somehow damaged," she told the court, adding, "I can't go anywhere on my own anymore. I feel unsafe." Judge Simon Mills commended her "exceptional courage" throughout the ordeal.
