Two wealthy and spoilt Nigerian youngsters spared jail in London after battering colleague with pipe

TWO wealthy and spoilt Nigerian youngsters in the UK have been spared jail sentences after battering a fellow student with a shisha pipe in an argument over which of them had the richest father.

In a first-ever such case, Elvis Ilonze, 20, who has had his Mercedes car covered in fur, attacked his childhood friend, Prince Nnaji, in the flat they shared in Brighton, East Sussex. Following the attack, Mr Nnaji tried to escape from the flat but Mr Ilonze, along with his friend, Daniel Oluyemi, 24, chased him and beat him up with a wine bottle on April 7 last year at about 10pm.

Mr Nnaji’s girlfriend, Louanna Rayawa, tried to stop the attack but was pushed to the ground by Mr Ilonze. In addition, the pair also assaulted a law student, Chiedozie Dibiagwu, 23, who was sitting on a chair nearby and witnessed Mr Nnaji being assaulted.

Friends, Messrs Nnaji and Ilonze had known each other from Nigeria but when Nnaji dared to suggest that he had the richer father, Ilonze decided to teach him a lesson. In court, both Messrs Ilonze and Oluyemi pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and were spared jail at the Old Bailey.

Privileged Mr Ilonze came to the UK to do a four-year engineering degree at the University of Sussex and is a year away from completing his course. His lawyer, Tom Hoskins, said Mr Ilonze faced deportation back to Nigeria if he were given a sentence of more than one year in custody.

Mr Oluyemi, who is training to become an accountant at the same university, is expecting a child in September or October. His lawyer, Jonathan Page, said the right place for him was at home, preparing for the momentous occasion, not in prison.

Judge Christine Laing QC spared the cosseted pair jail, suspending a one-year custodial sentence for 18 months to give them one last chance. In summing up, the judge added that the pair, although immature, have much to contribute to society.

"Unlike many of the people who pass through the courts, you both come from backgrounds of privilege. It couldn’t be more childish, effectively an insult on somebody’s parents, who’s got the richer dad, that started this fight.

“You both appear to be incredibly immature, perhaps as a result of being cosseted in your upbringing.” Both Ilonze and Oluyemi thanked the judge for sparing them jail before leaving the Old Bailey dock.

Mr Ilonze of Hendon and Mr Oluyemi of Colindale, North London, admitted to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. They were each given a one-year prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.