London rapist receives increased sentence following referral to the Court of Appeal

A London man has received an increased sentence for rape after his case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General Alex Chalk QC MP.

Blessing Eyewu-Ago, 36, entered the victim’s home uninvited, where he waited for her to return from work. When she got home, he demanded to have sex with her. After she refused, he prevented her from leaving her flat before raping her.

The offender was then arrested the following morning at Heathrow Airport as he was attempting to leave the country.

On 27 January 2022 the offender was found guilty of rape, false imprisonment and kidnapping at trial and was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment at Woolwich Crown Court. He also had to sign the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

Following the verdict, the Solicitor General referred Eyewu-Ago’s case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, because he felt that the sentence length did not reflect the severity of the crime of rape.

On 29 April 2022, the Court of Appeal found Eyewu-Ago’s sentence to be unduly lenient and increased it to 12 years’ imprisonment.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General Alex Chalk QC MP said:

This was a sickening act of rape by Blessing Eyewu-Ago, who then tried to flee the country in an attempt to escape justice.

I am satisfied that the Court’s decision to increase his sentence today both better reflects the appalling circumstances of this particular rape and demonstrates that crimes of sexual violence will be met with severe punishment.