UK jails Nigerian
‘witchcraft’ sex trafficker for 20 years
LONDON, (AFP) – A Nigerian sex trafficker who used
witchcraft rituals to silence the teenage girls he smuggled into Britain
for prostitution was jailed for 20 years on Monday.
Osezua
Osolase, 42, tricked three impoverished Nigerian orphans into travelling to Britain before attempting to sell them to gangs
in Europe for prostitution.
The
recycling plant worker, who lived in Kent,
southeast England,
used west African juju rituals to instill terror in the three girls, aged 14,
16 and 17.
“You
are undoubtedly a very, very dishonest man,” said judge Adele Williams as she
sentenced him at Canterbury Crown Court in Kent.
“You
are arrogant and manipulative; you are devoid of conscience, devoid of any
compassion to your victims.”
Osolase,
who has HIV, was found guilty after a six-week trial on Friday of five counts
of trafficking for sexual exploitation, one count of rape and one of sexual
activity with a child.
The
fact that he had raped one girl knowing that he has HIV was a “seriously
aggravating” factor, Williams said.
It
was recommended that Osolase be deported once he has served his sentence.
He
had convinced the girls to travel to Britain with fake Nigerian
passports by promising them an education and modelling careers, the court
heard.
He
was stopped at Stansted Airport, north of London, in April last year while attempting
to board a plane.
His
16-year-old victim told police that he had performed a juju ritual on her in Nigeria in
which blood was taken from her and hair was cut from her head and genitals.
She
was then made to swear an oath of silence.
Police
believe there were at least 25 victims of Osolase’s trafficking ring, which
smuggled girls into Britain
before passing them on to gangs in countries including Italy and Spain.
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