Small boat migrant jailed after he broke into family house to expose himself to girls

At the time of his crimes, Abbas was living in taxpayer-funded accommodation provided by the Home Office after arriving on a dinghy from France in March.

Cardiff Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Abbas broke into a family home in the early hours of the morning and entered the bedroom of three girls.

Judge Lucy Crowther, sentencing, said the asylum seeker posed a “real and imminent” threat to women and girls as she sentenced him to six years in prison with an extended licence period of three years.

At around 2am, one of the girls noticed Abbas in the “corner of the room”, the court heard.

The girl began to scream, waking her sisters, one of whom said she saw Abbas briefly leave the room.

The judge said: “When you came back in, you undid your trousers and exposed your penis.

“You must have realised then that these were all young women.

“You repeatedly asked the girls whether they wanted to have sex with you, you asked that three times.

“Whilst they were screaming, in what must have been obvious fear of you, you masturbated in their bedroom, right in front of them as they lay in their beds.

“Their screams did not put you off; on the contrary, you moved further into their bedroom.”

The court heard how Abbas came so close to one girl that she was able to hit him with a pillow, repeatedly.

As other members of the family became aware of the commotion, they turned on the lights and caused the asylum seeker to flee, the court heard.

The judge said the incident was said to have taken place over a minute and a half, “that to those young women must’ve felt like a lifetime of terror”.

Addressing Abbas, she added: “You had no regard for that family, or for those three young women as they slept.

“This offending was entirely about you and your sexual gratification, at any cost.

“This type of offending strikes unimaginable terror and fear into the hearts of right-minded people.”

The judge added: “I’m satisfied you intended to rape at least one of these girls.”

The girl’s mother, in a statement read to the court, said the crime had affected her daughters’ “emotional wellbeing, their education and the ability to feel safe in their home”.

Rebecca Griffiths, prosecuting, said Abbas had one previous conviction for assault of a constable and battery, which had been committed at a hotel in Warwick, where Abbas had been a resident.

David Pinnell, defending, said Abbas, who says he is Palestinian, was drunk at the time of his offending in Cardiff and has since “accepted full responsibility” for his behaviour.

The Home Office has previously said it would seek to deport Abbas at the earliest possible opportunity.