A UK court has jailed Nigerian student Qudus Ajeyemi, nicknamed 'Spartan', for 5.5 years over an attempted rape in Hull.
Hull, UK — A 27-year-old Nigerian man living in the United Kingdom on a student visa has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for attempting to rape a woman after a night out in Hull.
Qudus Ajeyemi, who told people to call him ‘Spartan’, was found guilty of attempted rape and sexual assault at Hull Crown Court. The jury returned its verdict on May 26 after a week-long trial. He was sentenced on Monday, June 15.
The court heard that Ajeyemi, of May Street, will be deported to Nigeria after serving his jail term. The judge also placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for life and issued a seven-year restraining order to protect the victim.
The case dates back to early 2023. Humberside Police said the woman reported the attack in March 2023, weeks after it happened.
She told officers she had gone out with a group that included Ajeyemi, stopping at a club in Hull before returning to a house on Tavistock Street.
Prosecutor Charlotte Baines told the court the victim had drunk half a bottle of champagne and some vodka that night. She became ill and vomited in the bathroom at the house. She later sat on a sofa downstairs to rest.
Ajeyemi then offered her a bed upstairs. She accepted, thinking she would be left alone to sleep.
Within seconds of lying down, he began touching her without consent. She pushed him away and told him clearly, “I’m not here for that.” He did not stop.
The woman told the court she repeatedly said, “Stop. Don’t touch me.” She noticed Ajeyemi had taken off his clothes. When she tried to hold him back, he pushed her. She ran downstairs in tears.
Friends at the house asked what was wrong. Moments later, Ajeyemi came downstairs himself and pretended to be concerned, asking her why she was crying.
The woman was taken home that night. She later told a close friend what happened.
What sealed the case was a phone call. Weeks after the incident, Ajeyemi called the victim on FaceTime. During the call, he apologised repeatedly and admitted what he did. He also sent several messages begging for forgiveness.
Unknown to him, the victim was recording. Those recordings were played to the jury and became key evidence.
Detectives from Humberside Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People Unit traced ‘Spartan’ and identified him as Qudus Ajeyemi. He was arrested but denied the allegations in interview, even after officers played his own apology back to him.
Detective Sergeant Ethan Anderson, who led the investigation, praised the victim’s courage. He said Ajeyemi preyed on a vulnerable woman in a place she should have felt safe.
“Reporting this type of crime is never easy and she has displayed immense bravery throughout,” DS Anderson said. He added that Ajeyemi’s refusal to admit guilt forced the victim through a gruelling six-day trial, which only deepened her trauma.
Police said they treat all reports of sexual offences seriously, no matter when they happened, and urged victims to speak to someone they trust or call 101. In an emergency, they should dial 999.
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