Credit: South Wales Police
An asylum seeker was filmed following a young woman out of a nightclub to attack her at 4am.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was walking home from a night out when she noticed Fawaz Alsamaou was trailing her.
The 33-year-old Syrian migrant followed her from the Pulse nightclub in Cardiff city centre and pursued her to the Cathays student area of the Welsh capital.
Alsamaou was filmed inside the club, which is an LGBT venue, wearing a gilet, a white T-shirt and jeans as he wandered around near the entrance before heading to the dance floor.
Alsamaou, originally from Syria, followed his victim before assaulting her under a bridge
Footage also showed him a short distance behind the woman leaving the club and following her as she walked towards her home.
A court heard he caught up with her underneath a railway bridge and grabbed her by the neck before carrying out his sexual attack. Alsamaou put his hand under her dress, grabbed her crotch and assaulted her for seven seconds.
Prosecutor Tabitha Walker said the victim eventually pushed Alsamaou away before running to call police.
After conducting CCTV enquiries, police identified the attacker. He was traced 160 miles away to Yorkshire where he had been living as an asylum seeker.
‘I’m always looking over my shoulder’
The victim described how the attack had had “lasting impact” on her.
“I’m always looking over my shoulder and thinking the worst,” she said. “At the start I couldn’t work and I didn’t leave my house for two weeks. I feel uneasy when it’s dark outside.
“It has really affected my social life and I don’t go out like I used to. I suffer with my mental health generally but this incident really hit that harder.
“I can barely sleep and I have nightmares relating to it. I’m working to get over it but this isn’t something you can just recover from. The impact has pulled me back from doing everyday things and stopped me going out with my friends.
“I didn’t return to work at the office for two or three months due to the anxiety of being in public and in a busy setting with lots of people. The time I had to have off work caused additional stress in my life and additional meetings with HR.”
Alsamaou is ‘highly likely’ to be deported following his sentence
Alsamaou, of Lockwood, Huddersfield, admitted sexual assault and intentional strangulation. He has no previous convictions in the UK.
His barrister David Pinnell said he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity but now does not accept his guilt, which made mitigation difficult.
But he added that he would be deported after his conviction at Newport Crown Court.
Judge Celia Hughes said: “It was a horrible attack on a woman alone at night in Cardiff. She was entitled to walk home alone at night without being attacked by you, a predatory man.
“You say that you’re a practising Muslim but your behaviour that night casts doubt on the practise of your faith.
“It must have been a petrifying incident for her and had lasting impact on her life.”
Judge Hughes sentenced Alsamaou to 37 months in prison for sexual assault.
She added: “You are highly likely to be deported after you have served your sentence.”
