An asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping issued a chilling six-word excuse for his violent crimes. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was sentenced to 12 months behind bars following a three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester magistrates’ courts.
The Ethiopian national was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and harassment without violence earlier this month. Kebatu had 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. He was also found to have sexually assaulted a woman by attempting to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty.
The 41-year-old had been staying at the controversial Bell Hotel in Epping, with the incident sparking weeks of protests and agitation with furious Brits demanding the closure of asylum seeker hotels.
The defendant, who previously worked as a “teacher of sports”, carried out the attacks just eight days after arriving in Britain on a small boat.
Stuart Cowen, prosecuting, at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court, told the author of a pre-sentence report about him that he “felt very sad and felt a lot of remorse”.
Mr Cowen said his client “did not know the UK was so strict”, but did know the age of consent was “18 in Ethiopia”.
Sentencing District Judge Christopher Williams told Kebatu, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey jumper, that he showed “no remorse at all”.
He said Kebatu, who sat with his hands clasped together, knew “full well” how old his victim was and he had a “poor regard for women”.
In a victim’s personal statement, a 14-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by asylum Kebatu said she is now “checking over my shoulder” when she is out with friends.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she prepared the statement “so that the man who did this to me understands what he has done to me – a 14-year-old girl”.
Mr Williams ordered Kebatu to serve eight months for the assault on the woman and a further four months for the assault on the girl.
