Woman Ordered to Pay £25,000 for Harassment and False Rape Claims

London, UK – In a landmark High Court ruling, a woman who engaged in a nearly nine-year campaign of harassment and falsely accused a businessman of rape has been ordered to pay him £25,000 in damages.

Cynthia Chia was found liable for both harassment and libel against energy trader Idowu Ogunkanmi, 44, bringing to an end a protracted legal battle that Ms. Chia conspicuously failed to engage with. The judgment, delivered by Deputy High Court Judge Susie Alegre, underscores the severe consequences of malicious false accusations and sustained online defamation.

The court heard how Mr. Ogunkanmi, who resides in Dubai but frequently travels for work, met Ms. Chia in a London nightclub in 2015. Their encounter was a one-night stand at his hotel room, and he returned to Dubai the following day. Despite the brief nature of their interaction, they remained in contact.

However, by early 2016, Ms. Chia’s behaviour escalated into what the court described as a “sustained, relentless and vindictive” campaign. She began confronting Mr. Ogunkanmi about an alleged sexual encounter with her friend, Prisca Okoye – an accusation both denied.

ADVERTISEMENT

She threatened to “destroy” him and demanded thousands of pounds. Mr. Ogunkanmi admitted transferring £250, believing it was for a phone bill.

The harassment intensified, with Ms. Chia repeatedly calling his workplace, sometimes over 100 times a day. Distressed, Mr. Ogunkanmi reported her to the Met Police in May 2016. She was arrested and bailed with conditions not to contact him or his colleagues. Just weeks later, she violated the bail, texting a colleague that Mr. Ogunkanmi “will spend the rest of his life in jail.”

The “horrific” campaign took a devastating turn in September 2016 when Ms. Chia accused Mr. Ogunkanmi of raping her. He voluntarily returned to London for a police interview in October 2017, but detectives subsequently cleared him, taking no further action on the rape allegation.

Undeterred, Ms. Chia continued her onslaught in January 2018, setting up multiple Instagram profiles such as “cindylicious11” and “u_smell-nice-witch.”

On these platforms, she repeatedly posted defamatory statements, accusing him of being a “rapist,” sharing his name and photo, and alleging he bribed police and medical staff to destroy evidence. The campaign continued for years, extending to Twitter (now X) in September 2022, and included an account named “rapist_trying_to_avoid_justice.” She even falsely claimed he had abused her child, tagging law enforcement agencies.
Mr. Ogunkanmi launched a lawsuit, asserting that the posts severely harmed his reputation. While his lawyer sought £120,000 in damages, Judge Alegre awarded £25,000, stating the figure was for both harassment and libel.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Mr. Ogunkanmi expressed his relief at the legal victory but felt the awarded amount “does not fully account for the depth of damage to my reputation and well-being.” He highlighted the lack of accountability from social media companies, emphasizing the potential for severe harm, including job loss or family breakdown, due to unchecked online defamation.

Deputy High Court Judge Susie Alegre’s ruling stated: “It is important for general damages in a defamation action to vindicate the Claimant’s good name and it should be clear, from this judgment, that there is no truth at all in the defamatory posts.” She added that Mr. Ogunkanmi’s consensual sexual encounter with Ms. Chia “in no way justifies the horrific campaign of harassment, abuse and defamation that he has been subjected to for over nine years.”

The judge noted the “clearly malicious” intent as an aggravating factor. Additionally, the court heard that Ms. Chia, driven by her “obsession” with Mr. Ogunkanmi, had “physically attacked Ms. Okoye several times in public.” Ms. Chia was convicted of common assault in February and sentenced to 10 weeks in prison with a five-year restraining order.

Judge Alegre also ruled that injunctive relief was “justified” and “a necessary and proportionate measure to put a stop to the ongoing attacks on the Claimant,” protecting Mr. Ogunkanmi’s reputation and right to a private life.