An asylum seeker has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Essex.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu had been staying at The Bell Hotel in Epping, and the incident fuelled weeks of protests at the site.
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.
Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court was told he tried to kiss the teenager, put his hand on her thigh and brushed her hair after she offered him pizza.
Kebatu, 41, also told the girl and her friend he wanted to have a baby with them and invited them back to the hotel.
The incident happened on 7 July, about a week after he arrived in the UK on a boat.
The girl later told police she “froze” and got “really creeped out”, telling him: “No, I’m 14.”
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Kebatu was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman – putting his hand on her thigh and trying to kiss her – when she tried to intervene after seeing him talking to the girl again the following day.
He denied all the charges but was convicted earlier this month.
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