LONDON, Sept 23 — An Ethiopian asylum seeker whose July arrest sparked furious protests outside a migrant hotel near London has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman.
LONDON, Sept 23 — An Ethiopian asylum seeker whose July arrest sparked furious protests outside a migrant hotel near London has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman.
The demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, about 30km north of London, quickly spread nationwide amid intensifying debate over immigration.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was convicted at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, attempting to assault the girl further, inciting her to sexual activity, and harassment.
Judge Christopher Williams said Kebatu admitted he understood the unrest his crimes provoked, which affected not only the victims but also other asylum seekers, fuelling fears over children’s safety and sparking mass demonstrations across Britain.
Immigration has overtaken economic concerns as the country’s most divisive political issue, driven by record asylum claims and rising Channel crossings in small boats.
Kebatu, who arrived in the UK by boat and had been housed at the Bell Hotel for just a week before the assault, denied the charges, claiming he was “not a wild animal.”
As of June, more than 32,000 migrants were living in hotels nationwide. The government has pledged to end the practice before the next general election in 2029. — Reuters
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