LETTERKENNY — A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years in prison following a harrowing case of coerced abortion and false imprisonment that Judge John Aylmer described as "extremely premeditated" and sitting at the "upper end" of the scale of such offences.
Adeleke Adelani appeared before Letterkenny Circuit Court for sentencing on Thursday. The court heard how, on Valentine’s Day 2020, Adelani lured his former partner to a house in Co. Donegal under the false pretence that they would raise their child together. Once there, he held her against her will and forced her to ingest five "abortion pills" he had procured in Dublin.
A Calculated Act of Cruelty
The prosecution detailed a chilling sequence of events. Despite the victim’s express desire to keep her baby, Adelani conducted extensive internet research on how to terminate a pregnancy. When the victim resisted, Adelani threatened her with physical violence, stating he would "beat the kid out of her" if she did not comply.
Evidence presented to the court included a recording made by the defendant himself, in which the victim’s distress and tears were clearly audible. Judge Aylmer noted that Adelani "ignored her obvious distress" and proceeded with the act despite her pleas.
Following the forced ingestion of the medication, the victim suffered severe physical symptoms, including high fever and cramping. She managed to contact the Gardaí only after Adelani left the premises to purchase a pregnancy test to confirm the termination had been successful.
Victim's Resilience and Forgiveness
In a poignant victim impact statement, the woman—who requested that Adelani be named publicly—spoke of the profound grief and "appalling emotional trauma" she has endured.
"He took far more than my freedom. He took my child. He took my sense of safety," she told the court. "Healing does not erase the loss; it only means I learned how to live with it."
Remarkably, she expressed that she had forgiven Adelani through her Christian faith, though she emphasized that forgiveness did not excuse the gravity of his crimes. "I am here today to ensure justice is served and to honour my baby," she added.
The Ruling
Judge Aylmer initially set a headline sentence of 11 years for the unlawful ending of a foetus—a charge brought under the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018—and five years for assault causing harm.
While acknowledging the defendant's eventual guilty plea and his expressions of remorse in a letter to the victim, the Judge noted that Adelani had refused to provide his phone PIN to investigators for over four years, significantly delaying the progression of the case.
The Final Sentence:
- Unlawful Termination: 9 years (reduced from 11).
- Assault causing harm: 4.5 years.
- Status: Sentences are to run concurrently with each other, but consecutively to a five-and-a-half-year sentence Adelani is currently serving for an unrelated matter.
Garda Response
Speaking outside the court, Garda Inspector Paul McGee praised the victim’s "remarkable strength" and "unwavering resolve." He highlighted that her courage in speaking out serves as a vital reminder of the abuse that can occur behind closed doors and reaffirmed the commitment of An Garda Síochána to supporting vulnerable victims.
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