A small boat migrant who sexually assaulted an “extremely vulnerable” teenage girl in broad daylight will walk free from court after being sentenced to just 14 months in prison.
Aron Hadsh, 27, who entered the UK illegally via the Channel approximately three years ago, attacked the 19-year-old victim in a Fulham park in June last year whilst she was on an errand to collect fruit from a food bank.
The Eritrean national, who was living in a taxpayer-funded Holiday Inn at the time of the assault, has already served nearly a year in custody, meaning he will not spend any additional time behind bars despite being deemed a “high risk of serious harm to the public”.
Isleworth Crown Court heard on Friday how Hadsh pursued the teenager to a park where he pinned her on his lap before grabbing her breasts and touching her crotch for several minutes until she managed to escape.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the young woman described her terror: “On the day it happened it made me feel very nervous. I felt that my body shut down. I was scared to see him again, in case he would kill me, because he was laughing after he ran off and sexually assaulted me.”
The victim, who has numerous learning difficulties that make her appear “very childlike” according to prosecutor Sam Barker, was only going about her daily routine when attacked.
Hadsh was apprehended five weeks after the incident when the victim spotted him whilst shopping with her mother. Members of the public intervened to detain him until police arrived at the scene.
Judge Alastair Rolf Hammerton sentenced Hadsh to 14 months‘ imprisonment with a five-year restraining order after he was convicted of one count of sexual assault in May this year. He was acquitted of one count of kidnapping.
The judge acknowledged that Hadsh posed “a high risk of sexual reoffending” and declared him a “high risk of serious harm to the public”, yet the sentence means immediate release due to time already served.
“I understand your conditions in prison are more challenging because English is not your first language,” Judge Hammerton told the defendant during sentencing.
The court was instructed to proceed on the assumption that Hadsh was a man of “good character”, as no criminal records were available from before his arrival in the UK.
Prosecutor Barker explained the impossibility of verifying Hadsh’s criminal history: “We haven’t done the checks, because we can’t.”
It remains unclear whether Hadsh will be transferred to an immigration detention centre or released into the community, raising concerns about public safety given the judge’s assessment of his risk level.
The defendant, who had been granted asylum before committing the offence, appeared in court wearing a grey t-shirt and beaded necklace, showing no remorse as he continued to maintain his innocence.
Hadsh was unrepresented during sentencing, having dismissed his defence counsel during the trial proceedings.
The court heard that Hadsh was intoxicated at the time of the assault, which Judge Hammerton noted as a factor in the case whilst determining the sentence.
The prosecutor emphasised the victim’s “extreme vulnerability”, highlighting how her learning difficulties significantly impacted her ability to process and cope with the traumatic experience.
The assault has had profound effects not only on the victim but also on her family. Barker described how the victim’s mother feels “frustrated” and “angry” that she sent her daughter on what should have been a routine trip to the food bank.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about public safety and the challenges faced by the justice system in dealing with foreign nationals who enter the UK illegally and subsequently commit serious crimes.
The victim’s vulnerability was a key factor throughout the proceedings, with the court recognising that her learning difficulties made her particularly susceptible to exploitation and harm.
Despite the serious nature of the offence and the judge’s assessment of Hadsh as a continuing danger to the public, the sentencing guidelines and time already served mean he faces no additional custody.
The five-year restraining order represents the only ongoing restriction on Hadsh’s movements, prohibiting him from contacting or approaching the victim.
Questions remain about the adequacy of the sentence given the vulnerability of the victim and the assessment of ongoing risk to public safety.
The case underscores broader debates about immigration enforcement, public protection, and the sentencing of foreign nationals who commit serious offences whilst in the UK.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
