An asylum seeker hotel resident has been jailed for 12 months for sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl, which sparked multiple demonstrations in Essex.
Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat days before the incidents, was described as âmanipulativeâ and with a âpoor regard for womenâ after being found guilty of five offences.
The 38-year-old told two teenagers he wanted to âhave a baby with each of themâ and attempted to kiss them, before going on to put his hand on one of the girlsâ thighs and stroke her hair, his trial was told.
The defendant, who was a âteacher of sportsâ in his home country, was also found to have sexually assaulted a woman by trying to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty.
During his sentencing hearing, the court heard that Kebatu was aware of the unrest his offending had caused, but had sought to portray himself as a âscapegoatâ and now wished to be deported.
The judge also said that while Kebatu had tried to take his own life while on remand in prison, he could not suspend the 12-month sentence as there was âno realistic prospectâ of him being rehabilitated.
In a victim impact statement, the 14-year-old girl said she is now âchecking over my shoulderâ when she is out with friends, and that wearing a skirt now makes her feel âvulnerable and exposedâ.
She added: âSeeing the bench (where the sexual assault took place) reminds me of everything that happened.
âIâm aware there have been protests because of what has happened â Iâm lucky that I was not in the country when that happened.â
Meanwhile, his adult victim said she was left feeling both âangered and frustratedâ by the incident.
ââHe did not even appear to know that what heâs done was wrong,â she said.
âThe incident has left me feeling worried to leave my house. I think about this incident most nights before bed.â
The Bell Hotel residentâs behaviour in July led to protesters and counter-protesters taking to the streets in Epping and eventually outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.
Epping Forest District Council is taking legal action against Somani Hotels over the use of the Bell Hotel as accommodation for asylum seekers, and could still be granted an injunction when a full hearing takes place on October 13.
Kebatuâs trial was told he was offered pizza by the 14-year-old victim shortly before he tried to kiss her on 7 July.
The court heard Kebatu had made inappropriate comments to the girl, such as âcome back to Africa, you would be a good wifeâ, and âdo you want to come to the Bell Hotel to have babies then we could go to Kenya with each otherâ.
The girl told police she âfrozeâ as the defendant sexually assaulted her and had told Kebatu âno, Iâm 14â when he spotted her again in Epping the following day.
The court heard his response to the teenager was: âNo, no, it doesnât matter, you could come back to the Bell Hotel with meâ.
An adult member of the public was also sexually assaulted by Kebatu on July 8 during an incident in which he touched her leg and tried to kiss her when she offered to help him with his CV.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she felt âshockedâ and âuncomfortableâ at his behaviour.
The adult victim told the court she confronted Kebatu when she saw him speaking to a âyoung schoolgirlâ.
She said the defendant ran away from the initial confrontation, but she caught up with him near the Bell Hotel while on a 999 call with police.
The woman told the trial: âIt was a lot of begging, pleading and apologising, and a lot of âIâm sorry, Iâm going to go, it was a mistakeâ â along those lines.â
Footage of Kebatuâs arrest showed him appear to become tearful after he was handcuffed by an officer, with the defendant eventually getting on his knees on the pavement next to a police car.
Molly Dyas, mitigating for Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, said the defendantâs âfirm wish is to be deported as soon as possibleâ.
She told Chelmsford Magistratesâ Court: âThat was his view before the trial, and that remains his view today.â
She said he was an âasylum seeker who made a difficult and lengthy journey from east Africa including the last part on a small boatâ.
She said he had no previous convictions recorded âincluding in the European countries he travelled through to reach the UKâ.
District Judge Christopher Williams found Kebatu guilty of 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.
Sentencing him, the judge said he agreed with the author of the pre-sentence report that Kebatu was âmanipulativeâ when interviewed, after he stated his lack of English and mental health as a reason for not remembering what had happened.
He said: âItâs evident to me that your shame and remorse isnât because of the offences youâve committed but because of the impact theyâve had.â
The judge said Kebatu told a probation officer he was âaware of the unrest that (the) offending had causedâ and knew that âother law-abiding asylum seekers were impacted by the offendingâ.
Kebatu must sign the Sex Offendersâ Register for 10 years, and made him subject of a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
He also ordered that Kebatu pay ÂŁ650 prosecution costs and a ÂŁ187 victim surcharge.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: âJustice has now been served and the Government must now deport this criminal immediately.
âThe reality is this vile crime should never have been allowed to happen.â
