Eritrean ex-soldier jailed for rape after avoiding deportation, Newport 2026

Key Points

• Radiet Meles, aged 35, an Eritrean national and former soldier, has been found guilty of rape and assault by beating at the Cardiff Crown Court following a five-day trial.
• Prior to that, Meles served a five-year jail term for the attempted rape of an unconscious woman at a house party in Newport, South Wales, in 2018 and was informed that he would most likely be deported after serving his sentence.
• Even though deportation had been expected in the past, Meles wasn’t monitored after being released and was allowed to go back to Newport where he carried out the fresh crime in March 2026.
• The Recorder Andrew Hammond stated that Meles is facing “a lengthy custodial” sentence upon sentencing on 20 November 2026.
• Meles entered the UK in 2015 by hiding inside a truck from France through the channel tunnel and had previously worked at a food packaging factory, Amazon, and a car wash.

Newport (Wales Times) September 13, 2026 — An illegal migrant raped a woman after a night out following his release from prison for a previous sex attack, according to court reporting by The Telegraph. Radiet Meles, a former soldier from Eritrea, had been told he would probably be deported after completing his initial five-year sentence for the attempted rape of an unconscious woman at a house party in uk/local/newport/">Newport, South Wales, in 2018. But the sex offender was not monitored after his release from prison and was allowed to return to Newport, where he was arrested in March this year after he attacked another woman. Meles has now been found guilty of rape and assault by beating following a five-day trial at Cardiff Crown Court. The judge said that he would face a “lengthy” custodial term when he is sentenced on 20 November 2026.

What happened in the 2026 rape case in Newport?

Meles, 35, of West Park Road, Newport, denied the offences which allegedly happened in the South Wales city in March 2026, according to the Express. He was unanimously found guilty of rape and assault by beating following a five-day trial at Cardiff Crown Court. As reported by journalists covering the case for the Express and The Telegraph, Meles attacked the woman after a night out, leading to his arrest in March 2026. Recorder Andrew Hammond, presiding over the trial, indicated that Meles faces a lengthy prison term at sentencing later this year.

What was Meles’s earlier conviction and what did the judge say about deportation?

The jury in Meles’s February 2019 trial heard how he took advantage of a woman at a house party in Newport in 2018, according to The Telegraph’s account of the earlier proceedings. Heath Edwards, prosecuting at that trial, said his victim was “awoken in the back of an ambulance by a police officer and… told that the defendant had been having sex with her”. He added: “That was not something that she had consented to – she was far too drunk for that.” Meles pleaded not guilty to the 2018 charge. He was cleared of rape but convicted of attempted rape. Jailing him for five years, Judge Christopher Vosper told Meles at the time: “After your release, it is likely you will be held in an immigration detention centre. As a consequence of this offence and sentence, the Home Secretary is likely to make a deportation order in your case.”

How did Meles enter the UK and what work did he do?

The 35-year-old settled in Newport after arriving in Britain in 2015 by hiding in a lorry from France via the Channel tunnel, The Telegraph reported. He worked at a food-packaging factory and previously had jobs with Amazon and as a car washer, according to court background outlined in coverage by The Telegraph and other outlets.

What have other UK media reported about the case?

The Express reported that Meles was unanimously found guilty of rape and assault by beating following a five-day trial at Cardiff Crown Court, and that he is set to be sentenced for his latest conviction on 20 November 2026. Just the News cited Daily Mail reporting that Meles was expected to be deported after finishing his five-year sentence following a conviction for a 2019 attempted sexual assault of an unconscious woman at a house party, but was allowed to stay in Britain. Ground News summarised multiple outlets’ coverage, noting that Meles was convicted by a jury at Cardiff Crown Court after a five-day trial despite having served a five-year prison sentence for the 2018 attempted rape in Newport. The Sun highlighted the broader context of foreign national offenders, noting that more than 5,858 foreign offenders were deported in the year ending March 2026 an increase of 13 per cent compared with the previous year, according to Home Office figures.

Background to the development

This case has drawn attention because Meles was told in 2019 that deportation was likely after his release, yet he was not monitored and was able to return to the same area where his earlier offence occurred. Court records from the 2019 sentencing show Judge Christopher Vosper QC stating that it was “almost inevitable” Meles would be deported by the home secretary after being released from custody, and that he was likely to be held in an immigration detention centre on release.

Despite that, subsequent reporting indicates Meles was not deported and was not subject to monitoring after release, enabling his return to Newport before the March 2026 attack. The conviction comes amid wider political and operational scrutiny of how foreign national offenders are managed after prison, with government data showing an increase in deportations in the year to March 2026 but ongoing high-profile cases where deportation did not occur as initially expected.

Prediction: how this development can affect public confidence and policy debates

This development is likely to intensify public and parliamentary scrutiny of post-release management for foreign national offenders, particularly in sexual offence cases where deportation was anticipated but not carried out. Victims’ groups and campaigners may cite the case when calling for tighter automatic deportation triggers and stronger post-release monitoring for non-British citizens convicted of serious sexual crimes.

For communities in South Wales and similar areas, the case may heighten concerns about safeguarding after prison release and increase pressure on local authorities and the Home Office to clarify why deportation did not proceed in 2023–2024 after Meles’s first sentence ended. In the short term, the November 2026 sentencing is likely to renew media focus on individual cases where deportation expectations were not met, potentially influencing ongoing policy discussions on immigration enforcement and offender management.