Syrian refugee who sexually assaulted woman, 19, is jailed despite moaning locking him up would breach his human rights

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A SYRIAN refugee who sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman has been jailed despite moaning locking him up would breach his human rights.

Hassan Abou Hayleh, 40, prowled the dark streets of Weymouth, Dorset, hunting for a vulnerable victim.

BNPSHassan Abou Hayleh, supported in court by his wife, has been jailed[/caption]

The married dad-of-four targeted the woman after he found her sitting alone on a bench while waiting for her dad to pick her up.

Syrian refugee Hayleh sexually assaulted her in the street before he tried to bundle her into a car where police later found a pack of condoms.

Thankfully members of the public managed to intervene and the terrified victim was able to escape his clutches.

Hayleh was branded a “very dangerous man” after he was convicted of sexual assault in a trial last November.

But the case rumbled on for months after defence barrister argued that sending him to prison might breach his human rights.

The fiend is now finally behind bars after Judge Robert Pawson disregarded Hayleh’s moans and jailed him for two years and ten months.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard Hayleh, whose wife supported him in court, sought asylum in the UK in 2018 after fleeing Syria.

His lawyer Graham Gilbert argued he suffers from PTSD after being held in prison in his home country and said he was tortured former president Bashar Al-Assad‘s regime.

The lawyer said that jail would make the sex offender’s condition worse.

He added: “The court must work out whether a custodial sentence would breach Article 3 and be inhumane and degrading for him.”

Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights prohibits torture, inhumane treatment and degrading punishment to a person.

The attack took place during the early hours of December 18, 2022.

Hayleh, who claimed he was out buying cigarettes, carried out three laps of the town before spotting the lone woman.

As she waited for her dad to pick her up, Hayleh groped her before demanding she get in his car.

In her victim impact statement, the young woman said: “It is hard not to think about how I could have been raped or murdered if I had not said no.

“I know it was not personal and I was just unlucky. I now have nightmares with a faceless man which makes me feel entrapped.

“I am sympathetic for his PTSD but I have now had to seek help for the issues. It has affected my school life, work life and home life.”

Mr Gilbert said since he was found guilty, the defendant has been spat at and his property damaged.

He urged the judge to spare him prison so he could be rehabilitated and ease the strain on overcrowded jails.

But Judge Pawson jailed him and also imposed a six-month Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He said: “The facts of this case are chilling. It is absolutely clear that this offence was planned.

“The CCTV evidence reveals that he made three circuits of Weymouth that night. The condoms in his car were not there by accident.

“He eventually found his victim who had been significantly affected by alcohol. She was particularly vulnerable.

“If ever there was a cautionary tale for young people to stay together then this is it.

“I would like to thank the young men and women who stayed and helped her. They saved the day.

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