British-Ghanaian rapper found guilty of raping four women
British-Ghanaian rapper, Andy Anokye, known by his stage name, Solo 45, has been found guilty of raping four women.
According to Metro, the 33-year-old, who was part of the group, Boy Better Know,
was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court of 30 charges stemming from a
two-year period. He was unanimously convicted of 21 rapes, five counts
of false imprisonment, two counts of assault by penetration and two of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He denied the charges, although admitting he terrorized the victims during “rough sex,” BBC
reports. Anokye was arrested after one of the victims reported him to
the police. Authorities subsequently confiscated his mobile phones and
laptops. After browsing through his devices, they were able to get in
touch with three other women.
Anokye, who is originally from London
but stayed in Bristol, allegedly met the victims at his shows and
established relationships with them before raping and assaulting them.
“We were able to prove that Anokye was a violent, controlling
narcissist and bully who took pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering
upon his victims,” Jill MacNamara, of the Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS) said, according to BBC.
“He filmed many of his attacks on his mobile phone, and this
footage, along with the brave testimony of his victims, created a compelling
case against him.
“He claimed sexual activity with these women was consensual
role-play and pointed to the fact that some of the women stayed in a
relationship with him after the assaults.
“However, the CPS was able to prove none of these women had
consented to the sexual activity or the violence and threats made against them.
“The fear he elicited must have made it obvious they did not
consent.”
According to the victims, Anokye’s modus operandi when it came to
raping and assaulting them included the use of weapons, forcibly
detaining them, applying a cloth with bleach on their faces and
water-boarding them, Metro reports.
“Not one of the women from whom you have heard said that
they consented to what he says is a game – the rape game,” prosecutor, Christopher
Quinlan QC, told jurors.
“They marked a boundary and he trashed it because he doesn’t
recognise boundaries, either for himself or others.”
Anokye’s defense lawyer, Sally O’Neill, however, told jurors the
videos presented as evidence showed “rough, sometimes unpleasant but
importantly, consensual, sexual activity” with the four victims,
claiming they had “full knowledge” of his fetishes and agreed to partake
in it, Metro further reports.
She added: “What we have watched may make some of us cringe,
but it doesn’t make it non-consensual.”
Presiding judge, William Hart, adjourned his sentencing for
a date to be fixed. He also ordered Anokye to undergo psychiatric evaluation.
“I
hope today’s verdicts bring some solace to the victims in this case who
have suffered unimaginable horrors,” Detective Chief Inspector Neil
Rice of Avon and Somerset Police said after the case, according to Sky News.
“Our focus will remain on supporting them as we have done
for almost three years since this investigation began, and we will continue to
do so through to sentencing and beyond.”
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