Man living at Surrey migrant hotel avoids jail for sexual assaults

An asylum-seeker has avoided an immediate prison sentence after sexually assaulting three women.

Qais Al-Aswad, originally from Syria, was a resident at Four Points By Sheraton Hotel in Horley, Surrey, at the time of his offences.

The 26-year-old was convicted on 20 August at Staines Magistrates’ Court of three counts of sexual assault against three different women from 27 May to 12 June.

On Wednesday, Al-Aswad was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work.

The women, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, were present during his sentencing and said the assaults had made them feel “unsafe and disgusted”.

The court heard how Al-Aswad slapped a woman on the bottom as he cycled past her on 27 May, then grabbed and squeezed the bottom of another woman he cycled past on 4 June.

On 12 June, he grabbed the pubic area of a woman in Horley and blew a kiss at her when she shouted at him, the court was told.

One of the women told the court: “I’m particularly looking at men to remember what they are wearing in case something like this happened again and I need to describe them.

“This is not right. I should not have to feel and act in this way.”

Al-Aswad is also now required to wear a location monitoring tag.