A priest who went on the run
after sexually assaulting a woman has been jailed for eight months.Father Hilary Ogom Nwadei, 58
years old has pleaded guilty to for sexually assaulting a woman and exposing
himself while staying at St Mary’s Priory in Leyland. Nwadei, from the Diocese
of Issele-Uku, Delta State, Nigeria, began staying at the Priory in September
2013 while he studied a doctorate in law at the University of Central
Lancashire, and also preached to the congregation.During that time he complained
of loneliness and befriended his victim who he regularly confided in and often
hugged during these exchanges.On December 12, 2013, he asked the woman to help
him pack for a return trip to Nigeria. She agreed and went to his bedroom.
David Traynor, the prosecuting
lawyer said “The defendant leaned against the door of the room, causing it to
shut. He was between her and her way out of the room.“He asked her for a kiss
and she presented him with her cheek, but the defendant said ‘No, a proper
kiss’, then kissed her on the lips.
“The victim said she wanted to
leave and tried to leave, then the defendant asked if she had any sexual
feelings towards him. When she said no the defendant reached up the back of her
jumper and undid her bra.“Then he moved his hands round the front, underneath
her jumper and placed his hands under her bra, onto her naked breasts. He
fondled her breasts for a matter of seconds.“The woman made her excuses to
leave, but he was still between her and the door, so she couldn’t leave at that
point.”
The court heard he then undid
his trousers, exposed himself and made a lewd comment. The woman said she had
to leave and Nwadei moved out of the way to let her pass.
Mr Traynor also told the court
Nwadei had told the woman “it was meant to be just you and me” and told her not
to say anything. The assault followed two incidents in previous days, where
Nwadei had told the woman he loved her, “twanged” her bra and slipped £100 in
her pocket for new underwear.
The woman told a friend and
the matter was raised with the church, who launched an investigation, then told
the police.
Nwadei returned to Nigeria
before moving to London, returning briefly to Leyland to apologise for his
actions. But knowing that he was wanted for questioning, he left the UK again,
following the death of his father and did not return until he was arrested at
Heathrow Airport while on a transit flight to the USA in December 2014 – 12
months after the offence.
Claire Jones, defending, said:
“He yearns to return to his country and has learned a salutary lesson. He can
no longer carry on in this vein.“He has been asked to leave the church and also
it has shaken his faith going through this experience.”
She insisted there was no
evidence to suggest he tried to stop the victim from leaving the bedroom during
the time of the assault. Judge Michael Byrne read out excerpts from the
victim’s impact statement, where she told of feeling intimidated and scared to
bump into Nwadei.
Sentencing, he said: “I make
it unequivocally plain that all incidents of sexual assault always regarded as
serious.”He said although the crime was at the lower end of the scale, it has
two aggravating features – it was a breach of trust for a minister of religion,
and that the invitation to his bedroom was for the purpose of a sexual encounter.Reflecting
his guilty plea, Judge Byrne jailed him for eight months with a £100 statutory
charge. Nwadei will be put on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years, and
will be deported from the UK immediately after his jail term expires. DS Carl
Matthews “This was a despicable crime committed by Nwadei who then tried to
flee from facing the consequences of his actions. I hope that today’s sentence
brings some closure to his victim who has been supported by specially trained
officers throughout the process.”
A spokesman for the Catholic
Archdiocese of Liverpool said: “Father Ogom came to England to undertake
further studies in Law at the University of Central Lancashire having received
an appropriate Testimonial of Suitability for Ordained Ministry from the Bishop
of Issele-Uku.“During his stay in this
country he resided in the Archdiocese of Liverpool at St Mary’s, Leyland.“The case came to light when
the victim reported the matter to the Safeguarding Department of the
Archdiocese. It was immediately referred to Lancashire Police.”
Lep.co.uk
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