LONDON (Kaab TV) – An Ethiopian asylum seeker has been jailed for 12 months after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman in Essex, UK.
Hadush Kebatu, described by District Judge Christopher Williams as “manipulative,” was convicted on five charges.
The Ethiopian migrant who came to UK in June via a small boat was living in a hotel rented by the UK’s Home Office when he assaulted the young girl and a woman in July this year.
The judge said his actions had harmed not only his victims but also other asylum seekers at the Bell Hotel.
One victim, a 14-year-old girl, said her school uniform now makes her feel “exposed,” while the adult victim said she felt “angered and frustrated.” The judge praised the woman for standing up “for those more vulnerable than her.”
Kebatu’s barrister said he wished to be deported due to mental health struggles, but the court ruled he posed a “significant risk of reoffending.”
Alongside his prison term, Kebatu was handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order, placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years, and banned from contacting women he does not already know.
UK’s Essex Police praised the victims for their bravery. Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper condemned those who used the case to fuel disorder in Epping, stressing that “no crime can become an excuse” for violence.