𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “The judge found that this illegal migrant knew full well the schoolgirl he assaulted was just 14.

“His defence? “I didn’t know the rules in the UK were so strict.

“He pursued her repeatedly. He attempted to ply her with alcohol. He grabbed her thigh when someone intervened.

“His prison sentence of 12 months is pathetically short. Under Labour’s future sentencing laws, he would have walked free. But in any event, this despicable man must be booted out of the country immediately.

“As I’ve said for years, I am sick to death of men like this – from backwards cultures – breaking into our country on small boats.

“It is shameful that parents were smeared as ‘racist’ for protesting against appalling behaviour by small boat migrants.

“They’re not – they’re good parents who want to keep their children safe. No human rights treaty is more important than the safety of the British people.

“Every illegal migrant must be deported from the country immediately.”

District Judge Christopher Williams previously found Kebatu guilty of two 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.

The member of the public who was sexually assaulted by Kebatu said the defendant “did not even appear to know that what he’s done was wrong”.

In her victim personal impact statement, the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “Since the incident, I feel both angered and frustrated.

“He did not even appear to know that what he’s done was wrong.

“The incident has left me feeling worried to leave my house. I think about this incident most nights before bed.”

District judge Christopher Williams said the asylum seeker posed a “significant risk of reoffending”.

Kebatu bowed his head to the judge before he was led to the cells at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.

The judge said Kebatu “couldn’t have anticipated” his offending would spark such fury from the public.

He told the defendant: “I’ve no doubt the author of the report is correct and you couldn’t have anticipated that your offending behaviour as an asylum seeker housed at The Bell Hotel would cause such a response from the public.

“Particularly in Epping, but also across the UK, resulting in mass demonstrations and fear that children in the UK are not safe.”

He said: “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.”

The judge said Kebatu told a probation officer he was “aware of the unrest that [the] offending had caused” and he knew “other law-abiding asylum seekers were impacted by the offending”.

Judge Williams agreed with a probation report describing Kebatu as “manipulative”.

He told the defendant: “That report indicates you were very reluctant to speak about the offending.

“It suggests you raised a lack of English and mental health difficulties as reasons why you either can’t remember what happened or cannot talk about the offending.

“The probation officer didn’t consider this was accurate and considered you were being manipulative. I agree with that assessment.”

Molly Dyas, mitigating for Kebatu, said the defendant’s “firm wish is to be deported as soon as possible”.

She told Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court: “That was his view before the trial, and that remains his view today.”

She said he was an “asylum seeker who made a difficult and lengthy journey from east Africa, including the last part on a small boat”.

She said he had no previous convictions recorded, “including in the European countries he travelled through to reach the UK”.

Ms Dyas said Kebatu had “reported to the Probation Service that he’s suffering from mental health difficulties”.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Justice has now been served and the Government must now deport this criminal immediately. The reality is this vile crime should never have been allowed to happen.

“In Epping, people protested for weeks to close The Bell Hotel, but Labour’s response was not to listen, rather to drag the local council through the courts to keep the hotel open and silence the local community.

“Towns like Epping should never have been put in this position. Illegal immigrants should not be housed in hotels, they should be deported.”