A former Solomon Islands international footballer who sexually assaulted a teenage girl on a Dorset beach after telling her “I’ve never been this close to a white woman” has avoided jail, despite magistrates finding him guilty of the attack.
Moffat Konofilia, 48, was handed an 18-month community order at Poole Magistrates’ Court after being convicted of sexually assaulting the 17-year-old victim on Weymouth Beach in December 2023. The asylum seeker, who was staying on the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge at the time, must complete 60 hours of unpaid work and wear an alcohol monitoring tag for 100 days.
The court heard how Konofilia, who travelled 10,000 miles from the Solomon Islands to reach Britain, approached the teenager on the seafront and engaged her in conversation before commenting on the colour of her skin. In a chilling recording captured by the quick-thinking victim, Konofilia can be heard attempting to kiss her as she repeatedly said “no, no.”
Beach Attack Caught on Recording
Prosecutor Robert Salame told the court that Konofilia had taken a bus into Weymouth from the Bibby Stockholm and bought beers to drink on the beach “as he often did.” The former striker, who once represented his country’s national football team, approached the victim and told her he was on holiday – concealing the fact he lived on the migrant barge moored in Portland Harbour.
“She said he smelt of alcohol, she was under the view he had been drinking but he seemed friendly. They continued to walk together,” Mr Salame said. “She went to the beach and he came with her. He was not invited to do so, but he did.”
The court heard that when Konofilia went around a corner to use the toilet, the teenager began recording their interaction on her mobile phone – a decision that would prove crucial to securing his conviction. “The defendant leaned forward and kissed her twice on the lips. She was saying ‘no, no, no’. She said when he did this she could not move, she felt like she was frozen,” the prosecutor added.
After the assault, Konofilia followed the victim to an alleyway, but the brave teenager managed to lose him and escape. She reported the attack to police the following day, leading to Konofilia’s arrest.
Victim Left ‘Intimidated’ and ‘Frozen’
In a statement to the court, the victim described feeling “intimidated” by Konofilia’s actions, which she said were “sexually motivated.” She explained: “I felt like I was frozen. It had an impact on my existing anxiety and feelings of being safe.”
During his police interview, Konofilia claimed the girl had told him she was 18 and needed his help. He denied kissing her, instead claiming he had merely put an arm around her to comfort her before she pulled away. However, magistrates rejected his version of events after hearing the victim’s recording of the incident.
The court was told that Konofilia, whose first language is Pijin – a creole commonly spoken in the Solomon Islands – had been in the UK for three years at the time of the attack. He had been housed on the Bibby Stockholm, the floating accommodation facility that sparked fierce debate about Britain’s treatment of asylum seekers before its closure in early 2025.
Begged Court Not to Jail Him
Following the sexual assault, Konofilia was moved from the Bibby Stockholm to former university accommodation converted to house 100 asylum seekers in Coventry. He is now living in a migrant hotel in Wolverhampton while his asylum claim is processed.
During sentencing, Konofilia begged magistrates not to send him to prison, citing his need to support his wife and children back in the Solomon Islands. “There’s a danger for my family if I go to prison,” he told the court. “My wife is just a housewife, I’m an asylum seeker but still look for money to feed them. If I go to prison my family is going to go hungry.”
He added: “I am prepared to work, I will comply with anything. I have never committed any offence in England, I have been here nearly three years now. I am not a criminal. I have never committed any offence in my own country. I have been a good citizen, I respect the laws of the land.”
The former footballer also thanked Britain for “looking after me” during his time in the country, despite having just been convicted of a serious sexual offence against a child.
Community Order Instead of Prison
Despite the seriousness of the offence, magistrates opted not to impose an immediate custodial sentence. Instead, Konofilia was handed:
- An 18-month community order
- 60 hours of unpaid work
- 26 rehabilitation activity days
- An alcohol abstinence monitoring tag for 100 days
- Registration on the sex offenders’ register for five years
The lenient sentence comes at a time when concerns about violence against women and girls remain at the forefront of public debate, with campaigners arguing that sexual offenders often receive inadequate punishments.
Troubled Past in Solomon Islands
Court records and media reports from the Solomon Islands reveal Konofilia had previous run-ins with authorities in his home country. In 2017, he was banned from football until July 2020 after punching a referee following a match. This was not his first offence related to match officials – he had previously been fined and suspended for threatening referees during a 2016 S-League match between Western United and West Honiara FC.
Sources from the Solomon Islands also indicated Konofilia had spent time in prison in February 2017, though the specific offence was not detailed in court proceedings. He had been involved in running the Royals Football Academy and had attempted to secure funding from the Solomon Islands Football Federation to take young players to trials in England – requests that were repeatedly denied due to concerns about his credibility.
Asylum Claim Implications
The conviction raises serious questions about Konofilia’s ongoing asylum claim. While the specific grounds for his application have not been made public, there are no established visa routes for Solomon Islanders seeking asylum in the UK, suggesting he may have arrived through irregular channels.
Immigration experts note that serious criminal convictions typically have severe implications for asylum applications, with those found guilty of sexual offences often facing deportation proceedings. However, the outcome of Konofilia’s case will depend on various factors, including any claimed risk of persecution in his home country.
The case has reignited debate about the screening processes for asylum seekers and the appropriateness of housing them in facilities like the Bibby Stockholm, which was decommissioned following Labour’s election victory in 2024. The barge had become a lightning rod for controversy, with critics arguing it symbolised the dehumanisation of asylum seekers while others pointed to cases like Konofilia’s as evidence of inadequate safeguarding.
As Konofilia begins his community order, questions remain about how someone with a documented history of violence in his home country was able to remain in the UK for three years without thorough vetting. For the teenage victim, the psychological impact of the assault continues, with her statement revealing lasting effects on her anxiety and sense of safety in public spaces.
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Image Credit:
Bibby Stockholm, Falmouth Docks (9 May 2023) — photo by Ashley Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0
