A Kuwaiti migrant has been jailed after forcefully kissing a suicidal woman in the street when she refused to accompany him back to his asylum hotel, a court has heard. Zayed Alanzi, 26, approached the woman in Hull and “would not take no for an answer” as he harassed her in the early hours of April 28.
The woman later told magistrates he was a complete stranger who left her feeling “violated”. He allegedly grabbed her by the cheeks, squeezed her face, kissed her on the mouth and forced his tongue inside, before she managed to wrestle him off. The incident reportedly took place near the Royal Hotel in Hull, where Alanzi was staying at the time.
Referring to a vulnerable teenager for whom she said she had acted as a decoy, the victim added: “It was either that or he would do it to the other one. He asked me to go up a road. I said ‘No. I’m going that way’, and that’s when the police turned up.”
During his trial, Alanzi – who is married – denied the offence and claimed through an Arabic interpreter that he had only tried to help the woman to her feet. He also claimed she had consented to the kiss.
However, magistrates rejected his defence and sentenced him to 12 months in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders register and ordered to pay £187 in costs.
He is expected to serve less than half of his sentence.
It is understood that deportation proceedings may now be initiated against him following his conviction.
The case was first reported by The Sun, which said the woman told the court she had made it clear several times that she wanted to be left alone. The tabloid also reported that the assault left her deeply shaken.
Alanzi had been living at the hotel while his asylum application was being processed.
His conviction comes amid growing concern over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, especially in city centres.