An asylum seeker hotel resident told a 14-year-old girl she would be a “good wife” after paying around 2,500 euros to come to the UK on a rubber dinghy, a court heard.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu allegedly told the girl he wanted her to go back with him to the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, to “have babies then… go to Kenya”.
The defendant, who previously told the court his age is 38, is accused of attempting to kiss the teenager, putting his hand on her thigh and brushing her hair last month.
The court list suggests Kebatu’s chosen language is Tigrinya which is commonly spoken in Eritrea and parts of Ethiopia.
On the second day of his trial, sitting at Colchester Magistrates’ Court, police interviews with male friends of the alleged victim were played to the court.
One of the teenager’s friends, a 14-year-old boy, said Kebatu was “staring at us the whole time”, adding: “We went into Tesco and he was following us.”
In footage played to the court on Wednesday, the witness said Kebatu had informed him he paid about 2,500 euros to “get on a rubber dinghy to come to our country”.
Another 14-year-old boy told police the defendant described two of his teenage female friends as “pretty” and “asked for a kiss from them both”.
The boy said they gave the man a slice of pizza on July 7 and then the man “asked to have babies with (the 14-year-old girl) and this other girl, then he asked for a kiss from both of them”.
The witness added: “He just said they’re pretty and he also said do you want to come to the Bell Hotel to have babies then we could go to Kenya with each other.”
Describing a comment the man allegedly made to a girl in the group, the boy said: “The geezer said ‘come back to Africa, you would be a good wife’.”
A member of the public also alleges Kebatu tried to kiss her, put his hand on her leg and tell her she was pretty on July 8 after she engaged in conversation and offered to help him with his CV.
The alleged incidents sparked protests and counter-protests outside the former Bell Hotel and similar protests have been held outside hotels across the country housing asylum seekers.
Kebatu denies two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence.
The trial, now on its second day, continues.
