Two men, Shuaib Iboko-Akoh and Evaristus Ozumizi Akerele, have been incarcerated for the rape of a lady in Liverpool city centre.
The allegations pertain to an incident occurring in the early hours of 20 April 2024, during which a woman was sexually assaulted within a premises.
The woman reported the incident, and within hours, officers identified the site of the act and apprehended Shuaib Iboko-Akoh and Evaristus Ozumizi Akerele.
While on bail, the suspects’ mobile phones were examined, revealing intimate videos of the woman on both men’s devices, seemingly recorded without her consent.
Shuaib Iboko-Akoh and Evaristus Ozumizi Akerele refuted the accusations; nevertheless, after a trial in January, Shuaib Iboko-Akoh, 24, formerly of Harrington Street, Liverpool, and Evaristus Ozumizi Akerele, 25, from Luton, were convicted of rape and voyeurism.
On Thursday, 6 February, at Liverpool Crown Court, Shuaib Iboko-Akoh and Evaristus Ozumizi Akerele were sentenced to a cumulative imprisonment of seven years. They were both mandated to register as sex offenders for life.
Detective Inspector Carla Cross stated, “These two men are now incarcerated for an extended duration due to their reprehensible conduct that night.”
“Both pleaded not guilty to the offences which meant the woman had to give evidence during the trial and I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to her bravery, dignity and composure throughout.
“Merseyside Police is committed to investigating all sexual offence allegations, bringing offenders to justice and supporting all victims-survivors and I would encourage anyone who has been a victim to come forward and speak to us and allow us to help and support them.”
If you have been a victim of sexual offence you can access specialist support services, which are free of charge and available to anyone. You do not need a referral or to have reported an incident to Merseyside Police before you access these specialist support services. This help is also available to family and friends who are supporting the survivor.
These services can support you in a variety of ways, including offering a confidential discussion if you are thinking of making a police report, but are unsure what that involves and would like to discuss it.
You can choose to make an anonymous report through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre called Safe Place, or the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service, rather than coming directly to Merseyside Police. Please search for RASA or RASASC (if residing in the St Helens and Knowsley area).
Support is available in Liverpool, Sefton, and Wirral, from Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.
If you do not require immediate police assistance then you can report rape and sexual assault via this website:
https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.