Epping Asylum Seeker Found Guilty Sexual Assaults Amid Protests

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a 38-year-old asylum seeker from Ethiopia, was found guilty at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court of multiple sexual assault charges involving a woman and two 14-year-old girls in Epping, Essex, shortly after arriving in the UK by boat. The charges include three 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. Evidence presented at the trial revealed Kebatu made inappropriate advances and comments toward the minors, including inviting them to the Bell Hotel where he was housed and making disturbing remarks about having children with them. The incidents triggered protests and counter-protests outside the hotel and other asylum seeker accommodations across the country. Kebatu denied the charges, claiming he was not a 'wild animal' and labeling the allegations as 'anti-Christian,' but the district judge quickly returned guilty verdicts after the trial. He is due to be sentenced at a later date.