Heartbroken woman forced into double abortion because of possessive Leeds rapist
A woman told a court of her heartbreak of having to undergo two abortions after she was twice raped by a Leeds man.
Chucks Mukolu was told that his sick actions will “scar the woman for the rest of his life”, before he was jailed for 17 years at Leeds Crown Court.
He was found guilty after a trial of two counts of rape and two of assault by penetration.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced the 44-year-old in court to read out her impact statement.
She described it as the “most painful chapter of her life”. She said she was constantly questioning herself, has nightmares and flashbacks and had “suffered in silence”.
Fighting back tears, she added: “I’m determined to take back my life.
“By sharing my story I hope I can find some measures of justice and move forward.
The court heard that Nigerian-born Mukolu had previous convictions for violence, but none of a sexual nature.
He had met the woman in the street and got talking to her, but became possessive.
He would follow her, told her to stop talking to other people, to block her friends on social media, and warned her there “would be trouble” if she disobeyed.
Mukolu then went to her home, held her down and raped her. She begged him to use a condom but he assured her she would not get pregnant, but she did.
She took the devastating decision to terminate the pregnancy, but it failed to deter Mukolu, who weeks later forced himself on her again while she was still recovering.
He threatened to tell her family she had an abortion if she did not give him another baby.
Again she fell pregnant, and was forced to have her second abortion.
Mitigating, Clarissa Rodio said Mukolu, of Ironwood Crescent, Seacroft, had grown up without a father figure and was physically abused by a relative.
He has five children in the UK and one in Nigeria.
Mukolu appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand.
Judge Mushtaq Khokhar told him: “Right from the start you had designs on her.
“You did not care if she wanted sex or not. You told her she was your woman and you could have sex with her whenever you wanted.
“She had been reduced to worthless in her mind.”
He put him on the sex offender register for life and told him he must serve at least two-thirds of his 17-year sentence before being considered for parole.