Asylum seeker who sexually assaulted three women spared jail

An asylum seeker who sexually assaulted three women has been spared jail.

Qais Al-Aswad, originally from Syria, lived at a Surrey hotel when he sexually assaulted three separate women as he cycled past them in Horley in May and June this year.

Following the 26-year-old’s conviction on August 20, around 200 anti-immigration protesters gathered outside the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Horley, where he had lived.

He was sentenced at Staines Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to six months in custody, suspended for two years.

Reading a victim impact statement to the court, one of his victims, who had been shopping in the town when he grabbed her by her pelvis, said: “What upsets me the most about this whole incident is how an individual who himself claims to be seeking safety and happiness, feels he has the right to remove those same things from myself and other women.”

The court heard that when the victim swore at the defendant after he assaulted her, he blew a kiss at her.

She said: “Following the incident I was left feeling frustrated at the arrogance of the person who committed the assault.

“As well as upset that they think they’re able to do things like this to people who are just minding their own business.

“I also felt, and still do feel, very disgusted by their actions.”

The court heard Al-Aswad, who was flanked by a security guard in the dock, fled Syria in 2018 after his home had been bombed.

In interview with probation, the defendant, who arrived in the UK from Turkey in 2024, claimed he was unfamiliar with UK laws regarding physical contact and suggested the brakes on his bicycle were faulty, the court heard.

Al-Aswad, who wore a grey prison-issue tracksuit, also claimed he touched the women as he tried to move them out of his way to avoid crashing into them.

Two of his victims, who sat in the public gallery to watch the sentencing, shook their heads when they heard this claim repeated by the judge.

One of the female victims told the court she was “shocked, upset and angry” after the incident when he grabbed her bottom.

“I was upset and angry that the defendant felt it was ok to do this to me, and that he clearly didn’t care about the impact of his actions,” she told the court.

“This was particularly apparent when I swore at him after the assault, and he turned round to swear back at me with a smile on his face.”

Using an Arabic interpreter, Al-Aswad spoke only to confirm his personal details and that he understood the terms of his sentence.

Before sentencing him, District Judge Julie Cooper told the defendant: “I accept that these ladies have suffered psychological harm.

“One of them feels she can no longer walk with her headphones on and that deprives her of a relaxing part of her day, a walk home from work.

“These ladies I am sure will experience a state of heightened awareness for some time to come.”

Al-Aswad was also sentenced to 40 days of rehabilitation activity and 200 hours of unpaid work, and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order whereby he has to wear a monitoring tag at all times.

He has been banned from using any bicycle or scooter in a public place, including parks, unless it has the ability to GPS track his location and route at all times.