An illegal immigrant from Eritrea has been convicted of rape after being freed from prison for a previous sexual assault. 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 arrived in the UK in 2015, entering through the Channel Tunnel by hiding in a lorry. Following his 2019 conviction for the attempted rape of a heavily intoxicated victim, a judge indicated that Meles would likely face deportation after his release from prison. "After your release, it's likely you will be held in an immigration detention centre," Judge Christopher Vosper told him. "As a consequence of this offence and sentence, the Home Secretary is likely to make a deportation order in your case."
However, Meles was reportedly allowed to return to Newport, South Wales, and was not being monitored. He was arrested in March after police responded to reports of an attack on another woman. Meles denied rape and assault by beating but was convicted after a five-day trial.
During the 2019 trial, jurors were informed that Meles spoke little English and that prison would be a difficult experience due to his distance from home. He had been working at a car wash and an Amazon distribution center after arriving in the UK. Meles is scheduled to be sentenced in November and faces a significant custodial term.
Meles's prior conviction stemmed from an incident in August 2018 where he took advantage of a victim who was too intoxicated to consent. The victim's last clear memory of that night was waking up in an ambulance to be told by a police officer that Meles had been having sex with her. Meles had denied the charges, claiming he did not have sexual intercourse with the woman.
