A former Ugandan Rugby Sevens player who had claimed asylum in Wales was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for raping a woman in Cardiff. According to Cardiff Crown Court, Philip Pariyo, aged 32, was found guilty of attacking the victim in a flat in the city in June 2021, months after denying the rape charge. The incident occurred after the two initially became close friends while socializing together. An impact statement from the woman was submitted to the court describing the severe physical and psychological damage the attack had caused her.
Pariyo represented his country indeed, in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow for Rugby Sevens before he vanished. He arrived the following year in Cardiff, where he claimed asylum and joined St Peter’s Rugby Club in Roath. Pariyo’s defence team had claimed that he sought asylum after being accused of homosexuality in Uganda and feared for his safety if he received a return ticket.
Judge Celia Hughes ruled that Pariyo had forced
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