Man sentenced to prison after raping and impregnating a 15-year-old

Content warning: This article contains references to sexual violence which some readers may find distressing

Anicet Mayela via Thames Valley Police

Anicet Mayela was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to ten years and ten months of prison.

The 41-year-old, of Rose Hill, Oxford, initially pleaded guilty but attempted to withdraw his plea months later.

Mayela raped the 15-year-old while being under the effects of alcohol in December last year. Judge Maria Lamb has stated that two-thirds of the sentence will be in custody, and the remaining third will be on-license in the community. 

Mayela, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was assisted by a French-African interpreter. Three family members attended the sentencing hearing at Oxford Crown Court last Tuesday.

When the victim’s sister discovered a pregnancy termination document in March this year, the assault was reported and Mayela got arrested. The accused pleaded guilty to one count of rape in April, but attempted to vacate his guilty plea in September this year. Judge Mary Lamb declined this request. 

“The misery you caused to that child must have been extreme”, stated Judge Lamb. The assault was the victim’s first sexual experience, explained the judge. She also condemned Mayela’s attempt to vacate his guilty plea, stating that “she doesn't have the support and assistance of knowing that you acknowledge your guilt.”

Speaking at the hearing on Tuesday (19 November), the judge also showed strong admiration for the victim, qualifying her as “a remarkable woman”. The girl has been praised for deciding to come forward and collaborating with the police. A letter written by the victim has also been shared by the defense counsel, in which she states she forgives Mayela for the crime committed. 

Barrister Peter Du Feu has labeled the assault as a “one-off” event and pointed out Mayela’s lack of previous offenses in the past. “It rather tells the story of a man who had entirely lost his way”, Du Feu stated. Mayela had recently lost his wife and “he spiraled down to alcohol abuse and depression”, explained the barrister. 

The vulnerable position of the victim, the fact that she got pregnant, and the inebriated state of the offender have made the judge refer to the case as “a terrible offense”. 

The Congolese national had been granted asylum in the UK in 2010 after two deportation attempts following his arrival to the country in 2004.

Mayela’s attempt to vacate his guilty plea makes mitigation in the sentencing very limited. “You don’t have the benefit of remorse”, explained the judge.

However, the initial sentence of 12 years of prison has been reduced to 10 years and 10 months. Mayela has also been issued a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will appear on the Sex Offenders’ Register. He has also been prohibited from working with children and vulnerable citizens.