Morenikeji Adewale, accused of rape had no right to work in UK – Court

A Nigerian nightclub security guard, Morenikeji Adewale, accused of raping a 19-year-old woman in his car near London’s Heaven nightclub, had no legal right to work in the UK, a court has heard.

The 47-year-old was allegedly on a five-year tourist visa that only permitted visits of up to six months at a time and prohibited employment. Jurors at Southwark Crown Court were told that he used false identification and the name Olusola Julius Alabi to secure a job at the central London nightclub.

According to the Daily Mail, the defendant, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of an identification document with improper intention, had his real identity revealed through fingerprint evidence after his arrest.

Asked why he gave officers a false name, he said, “I was panicking; that’s the name people call me at my work.”

Adewole is accused of raping a 19-year-old Christian woman in his car at Adelphi Terrace in November. The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was said to have been intoxicated, and jurors were reminded that a person can be too drunk to give consent.

The court previously heard the woman had been saving herself for marriage and was stumbling from intoxication on the night of the alleged incident.

According to Adewale, he had met her months earlier at the club and that she initiated friendly contact that night, including calling him handsome, kissing him, and asking for water.

On the night of the alleged rape, she said, ‘Hello, Uncle, how are you?’ and ‘You look handsome,’ and later kissed him, Adewale claimed.

“I told her I can’t go inside the club to get her water, but I have water in my car,” he added.

He said he later drove her to a more private location, where the alleged rape occurred. While he admitted there was sexual activity, he denied having penetrative sex, as he told the court he stopped the encounter when the woman told him she was 19, adding, “I can’t date someone below 25.”

The Daily Mail reports that the trial continues.