CHELMSFORD: An Eth­­­iopian asylum seeker was jailed for a year on Tuesday for sexually ass­a­ulting a teenage girl and a woman, in a case that ign­ited weeks of UK protests.

District Judge Christ­opher Williams told Had­ush Kebatu that “it’s evident to me that your shame and remorse isn’t because of the offences you’ve committed but bec­ause of the impact they’ve had,” as he passed sentence.

Williams had found Kebatu guilty of five offences, including two of sexual assault, following a three-day trial that ended on Sept 4. Kebatu reportedly gave his age as 38 but court records suggest he is 41, according to police.

Police had arrested him on July 8 in Epping, northeast of London, after he repeatedly tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl and touch her legs, and made sexually explicit comments to her. He also sexually assaulted an adult woman, placing a hand on her thigh, when she intervened to stop his interactions with the girl.

Kebatu, who has been put on the sexual offenders register for 10 years, was staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping, where around 130 other asylum seekers have been housed and which became the target of repeated protests following his arrest.

The demonstrations, fuelled by online anger, swiftly spread to other towns where asylum seekers were believed to be housed, and sparked counter-demonstrations.

The teenage victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said in a statement read out at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court, south east England, that “every time I go out with my friends, I’m checking over my shoulder.”

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2025