A Nova Scotia judge sentenced a former university football player convicted of sexually assaulting two women to two years behind bars, explicitly stating the sentence would have been “much higher” without an assessment examining the offender’s race and cultural background.

On December 17, 2025, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Frank Hoskins sentenced 25-year-old Omogbolahan “Teddy” Jegede following his conviction by a jury earlier in 2025 for sexually assaulting two women at St. Francis Xavier University.

The attacks occurred in university residences in Antigonish in 2022 and 2023, approximately five months apart, as reported by the National Post.

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One victim testified that Jegede choked her nearly to the point of unconsciousness. The other was forced to perform oral sex while Jegede physically controlled her movements. Both women described being physically dominated by Jegede.

“It should be noted that but, for the contents of the Impact of Race and Culture Assessment (IRCA), the pre-sentence report and all the mitigating factors surrounding Omogbolahan (Teddy) Jegede, this sentence would have been much higher,” Hoskins said in his sentencing decision.

The Crown sought a sentence of up to three years, while Jegede's defence asked for a conditional sentence that would have allowed him to serve his punishment in the community.

Hoskins rejected the defence request, saying incarceration was necessary to express society's condemnation of the crimes.

He imposed 18 months for the more violent sexual assault and six months for the other, for a total of two years. Jegede was also given three years of probation.

Central to the sentencing was an Impact of Race and Culture Assessment (IRCA), which examined Jegede's experiences as a black immigrant to Canada.

Jegede was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Canada with his family in 2010. His family initially lived in Brampton, Ontario, before moving to Fort McMurray, Alberta. The court heard that Jegede experienced bullying as a child because of his accent and race and later felt isolated as a black student attending university in Antigonish.

The IRCA also examined academic difficulties, mental-health struggles and an absence of adult mentors while Jegede attended university.

“The absence of adult mentors or role models further exacerbated Mr. Jegede’s vulnerability,” Hoskins said while quoting the assessment.

Hoskins said the IRCA provided “valuable insight” into Jegede's background from a social and cultural perspective.

At the same time, the judge acknowledged the seriousness of the crimes and the fact there were two separate victims.

Hoskins said the two offences occurring in similar circumstances only five months apart suggested Jegede “may be dangerous.” He also identified the violence and invasive nature of the assaults as a primary aggravating factor.

Despite those findings, Hoskins suggested Jegede could be a candidate for early release.

“I think Mr. Jegede will be a really good candidate for probably early parole given everything I’ve read,” he said.

The use of IRCAs was expanded with federal funding under former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government. In April 2021, then-justice minister David Lametti announced $6.64 million over five years, followed by $1.6 million annually, to support their implementation across Canada.

The Justice Department said the assessments are intended to help sentencing judges understand how factors including “poverty, marginalization, racism, and social exclusion” have affected an offender and their life experiences.

In Jegede's case, Hoskins was explicit about the assessment's effect on the punishment: without the IRCA, pre-sentence report and other mitigating factors, he said the prison sentence would have been “much higher.”