Ugandan Rugby player Jailed in the UK. Ugandan rugby player who claimed asylum in Wales has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for raping a woman in Cardiff.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Philip Pariyo, 32, had become close friends with the victim before he attacked her in a flat in June 2021. Although Pariyo repeatedly denied the charges, he was found guilty of rape in December 2024. He had previously represented Uganda in Rugby Sevens at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow before disappearing.
In a letter addressed to Judge Celia Hughes, Pariyo expressed that he was “genuinely sorry to those who suffered from my actions.”
An impact statement from the victim was read to the court, in which she described the long-term physical and mental effects of the attack on her. She stated, “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 feels like an open wound that I can never heal from. It has 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 have to fight for their life over something as simple as consent.”
Pariyo first came to the UK in 2014 as part of the Ugandan Rugby Sevens team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He was one of two players who disappeared after the Games, and the following year, it was revealed that he had moved to Cardiff. There, he claimed asylum and played for St Peter’s Rugby Club in Roath before becoming a waste management worker for Cardiff Council. St Peter’s confirmed that he had not played for them for “at least nine years.”
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In his defense, John Ryan stated that Pariyo had claimed asylum on the grounds that he was accused of being homosexual and feared returning to Uganda, where homosexuality is illegal. The court was informed that Pariyo first met the victim in 2019 at a funeral in Cardiff, and they developed a friendship. In 2021, Pariyo and the woman stayed in the city with two other individuals, including Pariyo’s pregnant girlfriend.
Judge Celia Hughes stated that on the night of the attack, Pariyo had “badgered” the woman for sex, which she refused. He ignored her refusal and raped her. The court also heard that the next morning, they went to a pharmacy to buy the morning-after pill, and Pariyo suggested buying condoms, implying he wanted to have sex with her later that day.
In her sentencing, Judge Hughes described the attack as an “appalling violation of a woman you called a friend.” She criticized his not guilty plea, given the strong evidence against him, which forced the victim to relive her ordeal in open court. “Someone with your physical strength, who played at such a high level in your sport, should act as a role model to others. Instead, you manhandled this woman as you wished. You pleaded not guilty, even though you admitted to having sex in your text messages. She will never be the same strong, confident woman she was before coming to Cardiff to see you because of your sexual greed.”
Judge Hughes also noted that the sentence would “adversely affect his asylum claim.”
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