Nigerian footballer turned church usher found GUILTY r*ping a drunk woman after she lodged at an Air BnB

A once-promising football career has ended in disgrace as former Championship striker Oluwasanmi Odelusi, 31, has been found guilty of raping a drunk woman while she slept in an Airbnb.

The ex-Bolton Wanderers, MK Dons, and Coventry City winger, who retired in 2020 due to injury, now faces jail time after the harrowing details of the attack emerged in court.

Odelusi, who has been known for mentoring young footballers and serving as a church usher, was convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court following a disturbing account of the night in question. 

Prosecutor Charles Evans detailed how the victim, then 27, had travelled from the USA with two friends to celebrate Thanksgiving in London.

“They stayed in an Airbnb flat with three bedrooms in Shoreditch, east London, and on the evening of Friday, November 26, decided to go clubbing,” Evans told the court, as reported by The Sun.

The group visited Reign nightclub in Piccadilly, where the victim and her friends drank heavily, consuming multiple tequila shots. 

The night took a dark turn when they invited Odelusi and his footballer friend Ryan Sellers back to their Airbnb at around 4 or 5 AM.

According to court testimony, Odelusi initially attempted to enter the victim’s room but was told she was not interested.

Instead, he went into her friend’s room and engaged in consensual sex before she asked him to stop.

 He then entered the victim’s room and raped her while she was unconscious.

“She awoke and realised someone was having sex with her, but she was unable to speak,” Evans explained. 

After the assault, Odelusi returned to the friend’s room while the victim went back to sleep, the court heard.

The victim awoke at 11 AM, feeling confused.

 She confided in a friend later that day in Stratford, who urged her to report the attack. 

Too distraught to speak to authorities herself, her friends reportedly made the call to police at around 12:50 AM on November 28.

A police investigation swiftly followed, with CCTV footage and a photograph from one of the women confirming Odelusi’s presence. 

His DNA was later matched to semen traces, providing irrefutable evidence against him.

“A sleeping person cannot give consent. It is that simple,” Evans stated in court.

Despite his defence claiming the victim had shown interest in him earlier that night, the jury was unconvinced. 

After deliberations, Odelusi was found guilty by a ten-to-two majority verdict. 

He was released on conditional bail ahead of sentencing in May.

Growing up in Dagenham, England, Oluwasanmi Babafemi Oluwaseu Odelusi grew up playing football as a sport to enjoy, joining Bolton Wanderers in 2009 after having also spent time in the Queens Park Rangers and Reading youth set-ups.

He went on to have spells at several clubs in England, amongst whom include: Conventry, Wigan , Rochdale, Cheltenham, Blackpool.