An illegal immigrant from Eritrea has been convicted of rape after being released from prison following a prior sexual assault conviction. Radiet Meles, 35, who had served a five-year sentence for the attempted rape of an unconscious woman in 2019, was found guilty by a jury at Cardiff Crown Court.
Meles entered the UK in 2015, arriving through the Channel Tunnel after hiding in a lorry. Following his 2019 conviction for attempted rape, the judge indicated that Meles would likely be held in an immigration detention center and that a deportation order was probable. However, he was released back into the community in Newport, South Wales, and was not under monitoring.
Meles was arrested in March of the current year after police responded to reports of an attack on another woman. He denied charges of rape and assault by beating, but the jury delivered a guilty verdict following a five-day trial.
During his 2019 trial, jurors were informed that Meles had limited English proficiency, and prison would be a difficult experience due to his distance from his home country. In that earlier case, Meles was cleared of rape but convicted of attempted rape. The prosecutor stated that Meles had taken advantage of a victim who was heavily intoxicated and had little clear recollection of the events. The victim's next memory was waking up in an ambulance to learn that Meles had been having sex with her without her consent.
Meles, who required a Tigrinya interpreter during the proceedings, denied the charges, claiming he did not have sexual intercourse with the woman. At the sentencing for the 2019 offense, the judge noted that Meles had observed the victim's intoxicated state and intended to take advantage of her.
Meles is scheduled to be sentenced in November for the recent conviction and faces a significant custodial term. He is listed as residing on West Park Road, Newport.