Ethiopian asylum seeker Kebatu convicted of sexual assaults in Epping

A Chelmsford magistrates court on Thursday convicted an Ethiopian asylum seeker of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, in incidents that prompted weeks of volatile protests outside the hotel where he and other migrants were being housed. District Judge Christopher Williams found Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, who arrived in the United Kingdom after crossing the Channel in a small boat in late June, guilty of multiple offences arising from encounters on July 7 and 8. He is due to be sentenced on September 23.

Court testimony and prosecutor summaries described how, on July 7, the teenage girl and friends were eating pizza on a bench when Kebatu, whom the court heard had been offered food, sat beside her, made sexual comments and attempted to kiss her. The girl told police and gave evidence that she froze during the encounter and told Kebatu, "No, I'm 14." Prosecutors said he later invited the group back to the Bell Hotel where he was staying and repeatedly insisted age did not matter. The following day, the court heard, a member of the public intervened when Kebatu again approached the girl and allegedly touched her thigh; the woman said he then put...