Man Jailed for Sex Attack on Drunken Woman in Wigan
At Bolton Crown Court, chilling details emerged about the attack on a 37-year-old woman in Wigan town centre in the early hours of December 18. The victim became separated from her friends and was approached by Ablolom Okbazge, a 27-year-old Eritrean national visiting a friend in the area.
CCTV footage showed Okbazge changing direction to speak to the woman, who was in a “heavily intoxicated state.” Taking advantage of her paralytic condition, Okbazge led her down a side alley off King Street to a secluded fire escape and subjected her to an hour-long sexual assault.
Victim Walked Home, Taxi Driver Confirms Intoxication
After the attack, Okbazge escorted the victim to a taxi, which took her home. The taxi driver revealed she was so drunk she tried to pay the fare twice. The following day, the woman confided in her sister that she believed she had been raped.
Okbazge lived at the Britannia Hotel in Standish, a property housing asylum seekers under a government scheme. Police arrested him at the hotel the next day, and he was remanded in custody ahead of his trial.
Victim’s Harrowing Impact Statement
“What happened to me will live with me for the rest of my life. I burst into tears regularly, especially when I think about what happened,” said the victim. “It sneaks into my head every day — no matter how hard I try to stop it.”
Detective Constable Ray Williams of Greater Manchester Police described the case as “a very traumatic ordeal” and praised the victim’s bravery in helping bring a “dangerous man” to justice. He warned the trauma will not end with the court case.
Britannia Hotel and Asylum Seeker Controversy
The Britannia Hotel in Standish has been at the centre of heated local debate for months. Parents of schoolchildren reported keeping daughters indoors due to concerns about the behaviour of some asylum seekers housed there.
- Local secondary school sent a “Stranger Danger Alert” in September, warning parents not to let children travel alone.
- Some adult men at the hotel were accused of filming teenage girls during PE lessons and harassing them on the streets.
- On one alarming occasion, a 12-year-old girl was surrounded and filmed by men from the hotel.
- Labour MP Lisa Nandy condemned the use of the hotel for asylum seekers, calling it “entirely inappropriate” and made without community consultation.
In September, another incident at the same hotel involved a male claiming to be 17, charged with sexual touching of a child under 13.
Similar concerns about asylum seeker behaviour and safety have been raised in other areas, including Derbyshire, where a council questioned housing asylum seekers in a local hotel after reports of disturbances and anti-social behaviour.
Deportation Delays Loom
Okbazge faces deportation upon release, but delays could occur if he contests it, as has happened with other foreign national criminals using human rights laws to stay in the UK.
