A Zimbabwean national and elder in the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA) church has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a vulnerable woman in the United Kingdom.
Innocent Majoni, 47, was sentenced in his absence at Leeds Crown Court after failing to attend the hearing. Police are now searching for him.
Majoni was convicted following a trial on three counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault.
The court heard that he preyed on a vulnerable woman by threatening to report her to the Home Office for deportation unless she complied with his demands.
In a powerful victim impact statement read to the court, the woman described the lasting trauma she continues to endure.
“I still do not feel safe. He forced himself on me. He threatened to go to the Home Office. I came here for safety and ended up in this situation,” she said.
“He called me ‘fresh meat’ and it made me feel dirty. Emotionally, physically and mentally it has impacted me.”
She also expressed fears for her own safety while Majoni remains at large.
“If he can’t be found and brought to justice, I will never feel safe and will always worry what he is doing to other women. Where is he? I’m still at risk. I’m traumatised by everything.”
Recorder of Leeds Guy Kearl KC, who presided over the case, found that Majoni had deliberately exploited the complainant’s vulnerable immigration status.
In addition to the prison sentence, the judge imposed a lifetime restraining order, making any future contact with the victim a separate criminal offence.
The court heard that the woman only felt able to report the offences several years later after securing her immigration status.
By the time criminal proceedings reached their conclusion, Majoni had disappeared.
West Yorkshire Police are understood to be searching for him.
Majoni, who was born in January 1979 and holds Zimbabwean nationality, was previously a director of ILS24 Health Care Limited, a Leeds-based care company.
According to Companies House records, he was appointed as a director in July 2013 before resigning in January 2023. The company has since gone into liquidation.
He was also a prominent member and elder of the ZAOGA Leeds Assembly.
His case was among several serious criminal matters dealt with by Leeds Crown Court this week, alongside offenders convicted of other grave offences.
The sentencing judge praised the victim’s courage in coming forward despite years of fear, highlighting the difficulties many vulnerable victims face before reporting sexual offences.
Majoni remains wanted by police.
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