Ireland Jails Nigerian Man Nine Years for Forcing Girlfriend to Terminate Pregnancy

A Nigerian man based in Ireland has been sentenced to nine years in prison for forcing his former girlfriend to terminate her pregnancy in Co Donegal.

Adeleke Adelani was sentenced at Letterkenny Circuit Court, where Judge John Aylmer described the offence as deliberate and carefully planned. The court imposed an 11-year sentence, suspending the final two years.

Adelani admitted unlawfully ending the life of a foetus contrary to the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, as well as assault causing harm under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.

The court heard that the woman was nine weeks pregnant in February 2020 and had decided to keep the child. Adelani reportedly invited her to Letterkenny on the understanding that they would raise the baby together. Evidence presented showed that he had researched online how to terminate the pregnancy.

On February 14, 2020, he forced her to take five tablets obtained from a Dublin pharmacy and confined her in a room. Audio recordings played in court captured him instructing her to take the medication and threatening to beat her if she refused.

Gardaí responded to what was reported as a domestic disturbance at about 2:20pm that day. The woman later provided a victim impact statement in which she described the emotional toll of the incident and said she had been deprived not only of her freedom but of a child she had already begun to plan for.

Judge Aylmer said the evidence showed the accused ignored the woman’s distress and proceeded despite knowing she wanted to continue the pregnancy. The court noted that the offences involved unlawful termination, assault, threats and false imprisonment.

Before mitigation, the judge said the unlawful termination offence warranted 11 years, while the assault charge attracted five years, to run concurrently. Taking into account Adelani’s guilty plea, remorse and conduct in custody, the sentence was reduced to nine years for the termination charge and four-and-a-half years for assault.

Adelani is currently serving a separate five-and-a-half-year prison term for another offence. The latest sentence will run consecutively.

Following the ruling, Garda Inspector Paul McGee commended the victim for pursuing the case and encouraged anyone experiencing violence or coercion to report such incidents to law enforcement authorities.