A 23-year-old Nigerian man, Ayomide Famakinde, has walked free from court despite being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman near Bournemouth beach.
The ruling, however, has sparked outrage and renewed debate over the UK justice system’s handling of sexual offences.
Famakinde, a gym instructor from south London, was convicted of putting his hands down the victim’s jogging bottoms in August 2022 after approaching her late at night. The terrified teenager said she fought him off and screamed for him to stop, but he ignored her until his friend dragged him away.
She was left crying on the ground, traumatised, and says she no longer feels safe walking alone, prosecutor Mike Mason told the court, reading from her emotional victim impact statement: I didn’t see him coming, and I certainly didn’t ask him to ruin my life. When I think about what he did, it makes me feel sick to my stomach.
Despite DNA evidence linking him to the assault and a jury finding him guilty, Judge Nicholas Haggan KC handed Famakinde an 18-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work, saying the incident was a momentary aberration and citing his very troubled background and difficult life.
The court heard Famakinde moved to the UK as a child from Nigeria, was placed in the care system, and had no prior criminal record. His lawyer, Nick Robinson, described him as remorseful and a man of “clear potential” who acted manifestly out of character that night while intoxicated.
But the sentencing has drawn sharp criticism from women’s rights advocates, who argue that excusing sexual assault on the basis of background and potential sends a dangerous message to victims and offenders alike.
For the victim, however, the damage is lasting. He left me crying on the ground asking for help, she said. Now, I’m scared of walking alone on the street.
