Innocent Megbolu 37

Description

Innocent Megbolu, 37, was jailed for five years for forcibly raping a woman in her Leith flat on August 21, 2023, despite her struggles and protests, after she had asked him to leave.

Megbolu, formerly of Seacole Square, Craigmillar, Edinburgh, was also subjected to an indefinite non-harassment order barring contact with the victim.

Judge Alistair Watson at the High Court in Edinburgh told him: "The degree of harm caused by you in committing this crime must be considered as particularly high." He noted: "Her evidence was she was crying and shouting and yet you continued with your conduct," adding that the offence occurred in her home where she should feel safe.

Megbolu denied the rape but was convicted by a jury.

An acquaintance testified: "She told me that he flipped her over - like a wrestling move." The victim appeared shaking, tired, and in shock afterward.

Another woman received a call from the victim, who said: "She said she had been raped."

Defence counsel Jonathan Campbell said Megbolu, a married father-of-two with a Nigerian university degree and prior work in the care sector, understood a custodial sentence was "inevitable" as a first offender. His "principal concern is for his family and the impact the conviction will have on them," and deportation is "highly likely" post-sentence.

Megbolu was placed indefinitely on the sex offenders' register.