A Nigerian man has been sentenced to prison in Ireland after forcing his girlfriend to terminate her pregnancy on Valentine’s Day in 2020.
The court heard that the 28-year-old, identified as Mr Adelani, deceitfully lured the woman to his home in Letterkenny under the pretext of discussing her pregnancy. The woman, who was nine weeks pregnant at the time and has not been publicly named, had believed they would talk about their future.
Instead, prosecutors said Mr Adelani used threats to force her to ingest five tablets of misoprostol, a medication used to induce abortion.
The case was heard at Letterkenny Circuit Court, where Judge John Alymer sentenced the defendant to 11 years in prison, with the final two years suspended, for causing the unlawful termination of a pregnancy. He also received a five-year sentence, with the final 12 months suspended, for assault causing harm. The sentences will run concurrently.
Mr Adelani, who is already serving a seven-year prison term for a separate offence, had been due to stand trial in November last year but pleaded guilty before jury selection began.
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In a victim impact statement delivered during Thursday’s sentencing, the woman spoke of the profound emotional toll of the incident.
“I have forgiven the defendant. The forgiveness does not mean what he did was acceptable. It means I refuse to let what he did continue to control my heart and my life,” she said.
“When he wrongfully imprisoned me and caused the termination of my nine-week pregnancy, he took far more than my freedom. He took my child. He took my sense of safety. He took a future that I had already begun to plan and love.”
In a letter read to the court, Mr Adelani accepted responsibility for his actions and expressed deep remorse, apologising for the pain he had caused.
