An asylum seeker living in an Epping hotel tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl and told her he wanted to have a baby with her, a court heard.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, made inappropriate comments to the teenage girl and her friend “without any encouragement” shortly after she offered him pizza because he looked hungry, Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard.
Prosecutor Stuart Cowen said Kebatu told the youngsters that “he wanted to have a baby with each of them and attempted to kiss them” before inviting them back to the former Bell Hotel in Epping, where he lived after recently arriving in the UK.
The alleged incident involving Kebatu sparked protests and counter-protests outside the hotel in Essex after similar protests were held outside hotels across the country housing asylum seekers. Several men have been charged over the protests.
Mr Cowen said the case has “attracted quite a lot of publicity because of the defendant’s personal circumstances”.
Kebatu is alleged to have initially approached the two girls on 7 July, before putting his hand on one of the teenager’s thighs and again attempting to kiss her a day later.
The girl told police she “froze” and got “really creeped out” during the alleged incident, telling Ketabu “no, I’m 14”. She said the defendant responded by saying “no, no, it doesn’t matter, you could come back to the Bell Hotel with me”.
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“These advances were rejected,” Mr Cowen said.
The 14-year-old said Kebatu told her he was staying at the Bell Hotel after arriving in the UK on a boat. He allegedly told her he was from an African country beginning with the letter S.
The girl said she felt “really sick to my stomach” and “really intimidated” after the alleged assault, telling police: “I wouldn’t think a full-grown man would think it was OK to do that.”
Molly Dyas, defending, questioned the girl at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, asking: “On July 7, the man says he didn’t have any pizza from you. Is he right about that?”
The girl replied: “No, he’s incorrect. He did.”
Ms Dyas asked: “The man says he only said hello to you and your friends. Is that correct?” The girl said “no”.
The lawyer further said: “He says he didn’t say ‘I want a baby off you’, is that correct?” The alleged victim replied, “he did,” and added she told him “over and over again” she was 14 years old.
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Another female member of the public alleges that Kebatu tried to kiss her, put his hand on her leg and told her she was pretty on 8 July.
The defendant, of the Bell Hotel, spoke through an interpreter in court, with a list suggesting that Kebatu’s chosen language is Tigrinya, which is commonly spoken in the African country of Eritrea.
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Kebatu denies 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.
The trial, which is expected to last two days, continues.
