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 “manipulative” and with a “poor regard for women” after being found guilty of five offences.
The 38-year-old told two teenagers he wanted to “have a baby with each of them” and attempted to kiss them, before going on to put his hand on one of the girls’ thighs and stroke her hair, his trial was told.
The defendant, who was a “teacher of sports” 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 “scapegoat” 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 “no realistic prospect” of his being rehabilitated.
In a victim impact statement, the 14-year-old girl said she is now “checking over my shoulder” when she is out with friends, and that wearing a skirt now makes her feel “vulnerable and exposed”.
She added: “Seeing the bench (where the sexual assault took place) reminds me of everything that happened.
“I’m aware there have been protests because of what has happened – I’m lucky that I was not in the country when that happened.”
Meanwhile, his adult victim said she was left feeling both “angered and frustrated” by the incident.
“He did not even appear to know that what he’s done was wrong,” she said.
“The incident has left me feeling worried to leave my house. I think about this incident most nights before bed.”
The Bell Hotel resident’s 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 13 October.
Kebatu’s 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 “come back to Africa, you would be a good wife”, and “do you want to come to the Bell Hotel to have babies then we could go to Kenya with each other”.
The girl told police she “froze” as the defendant sexually assaulted her and had told Kebatu “no, I’m 14” when he spotted her again in Epping the following day.
The court heard his response to the teenager was: “No, no, it doesn’t matter, you could come back to the Bell Hotel with me”.
An adult member of the public was also sexually assaulted by Kebatu on 8 July 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 “shocked” and “uncomfortable” at his behaviour.
The adult victim told the court she confronted Kebatu when she saw him speaking to a “young schoolgirl”.
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: “It was a lot of begging, pleading and apologising, and a lot of ‘I’m sorry, I’m going to go, it was a mistake’ – along those lines.”
Footage of Kebatu’s arrest showed him appearing 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 defendant’s “firm wish is to be deported as soon as possible”.
She told Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court: “That was his view before the trial, and that remains his view today.”
She said he was an “asylum seeker who made a difficult and lengthy journey from east Africa, including the last part on a small boat”.
She said he had no previous convictions recorded “including in the European countries he travelled through to reach the UK”.
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 “manipulative” when interviewed, after he stated his lack of English and mental health as a reason for not remembering what had happened.
He said: “It’s evident to me that your shame and remorse isn’t because of the offences you’ve committed but because of the impact they’ve had.”
The judge said Kebatu told a probation officer he was “aware of the unrest that (the) offending had caused” and knew that “other law-abiding asylum seekers were impacted by the offending”.
Kebatu must sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years, and has been made subject to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
He also ordered that Kebatu pay £650 prosecution costs and a £187 victim surcharge.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Justice has now been served and the government must now deport this criminal immediately.
“The reality is this vile crime should never have been allowed to happen.”
