A former international rugby player turned binman raped a woman after saying he was gay to claim asylum in the UK.
Uganda player Philip Pariyo, 32, has been jailed for four and a half years after raping a woman in Cardiff in June 2021.
Pariyo represented his country at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow but he failed to return to Africa following the competition.
The 32-year-old said he was a homosexual and if he went back to Uganda, he would be a victim of sexual persecution.
He later relocated where he had a girlfriend and then raped a different woman.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Pariyo - who worked in the capital as a waste management worker - became close friends with his victim before he attacked her in a flat in the city.
He repeated denied raping the woman but was found guilty in December 2024.
In a letter to Judge Celia Hughes, he said he was “genuinely sorry to those who suffered from my actions”.
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His defence lawyer, John Ryan, said Pariyo had claimed asylum as he had been accused of being homosexual, and feared returning to his home country where it is illegal.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “No one in the world should go through what I did, fighting and begging for my life. It has left lasting impacts on me, and has felt like an open wound that I can never heal from.
“It's made me feel dirty, numb and tainted. He invaded my body by force and branded me from within. He became an unwanted part of my body that I can't get rid of.
“No one should fight like their life depends on it for something as simple as consent.”
Hughes told him: “Someone with your physical strength and who played at such a high level in your sport should act as a role model to others. But instead you manhandled this woman as entirely as you wished.
“You pleaded not guilty even though you admitted having sex in your text messages.
“She will never be the same strong confident woman she was before she came to Cardiff to see you, because of your sexual greed.”
Pariyo was one of two Ugandan rugby players who disappeared following the 2014 games.
Both Pariyo and Benon Kizza were housed near St Peter's Rugby Club in Roath where they were signed.
St Peter's confirmed they have not played for them for “at least nine years”.
The court heard his asylum status would be "adversely affected" by his sentence.
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Uganda player Philip Pariyo, 32, has been jailed for four and a half years after raping a woman in Cardiff in June 2021.
Pariyo represented his country at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow but he failed to return to Africa following the competition.
The 32-year-old said he was a homosexual and if he went back to Uganda, he would be a victim of sexual persecution.
He later relocated where he had a girlfriend and then raped a different woman.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Pariyo - who worked in the capital as a waste management worker - became close friends with his victim before he attacked her in a flat in the city.
He repeated denied raping the woman but was found guilty in December 2024.
In a letter to Judge Celia Hughes, he said he was “genuinely sorry to those who suffered from my actions”.
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His defence lawyer, John Ryan, said Pariyo had claimed asylum as he had been accused of being homosexual, and feared returning to his home country where it is illegal.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “No one in the world should go through what I did, fighting and begging for my life. It has left lasting impacts on me, and has felt like an open wound that I can never heal from.
“It's made me feel dirty, numb and tainted. He invaded my body by force and branded me from within. He became an unwanted part of my body that I can't get rid of.
“No one should fight like their life depends on it for something as simple as consent.”
Hughes told him: “Someone with your physical strength and who played at such a high level in your sport should act as a role model to others. But instead you manhandled this woman as entirely as you wished.
“You pleaded not guilty even though you admitted having sex in your text messages.
“She will never be the same strong confident woman she was before she came to Cardiff to see you, because of your sexual greed.”
Pariyo was one of two Ugandan rugby players who disappeared following the 2014 games.
Both Pariyo and Benon Kizza were housed near St Peter's Rugby Club in Roath where they were signed.
St Peter's confirmed they have not played for them for “at least nine years”.
The court heard his asylum status would be "adversely affected" by his sentence.
Find Out More...