A MIGRANT has avoided jail for sexually assaulting a teen girl on a beach before telling her “I’ve never been this close to a white woman”.
Moffat Konofilia was staying on the Bibby Stockholm migrant barge when he targeted the 17-year-old victim.
BNPSMoffat Konofilia has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teen[/caption]
The 48-year-old, who travelled 10,000 miles to the UK from the Solomon Islands, engaged the girl in conversation on Weymouth Beach in Dorset.
Konofilia complimented the colour of her skin and said he had “never been this close to a white woman”.
The victim, who bravely recorded their conversation, was heard saying “no, no” as the fiend attempted to kiss her.
He then followed her to an alleyway but the girl managed to lose Konofilia.
The predator has now avoided prison after he was convicted of sexual assault.
He had begged magistrates in Poole not to send him to jail as he needed to support his wife and children.
Konofilia, who has been in the country for three years, also thanked the UK for “looking after me” and said he was a good citizen.
He was instead handed an 18 month community order with 60 hours of unpaid work, 26 rehabilitation activity days and an alcohol abstinence monitoring tag for 100 days.
The fiend must also meet notification requirements for the sex offenders’ register for the next five years.
The court heard Konofilia, a former footballer for the Solomon Islands national team, attacked the girl in December 2023.
He had taken the bus into Weymouth and bought beers to drink on the beach “as he often did”.
Konofilia told the girl he was on holiday – but in fact he lived on the controversial migrant barge.
Robert Salame, prosecuting, said: “She said he smelt of alcohol, she was under the view he had been drinking but he seemed friendly. They continued to walk together.
“She went to the beach and he came with her. He was not invited to do so, but he did.
“The defendant was talking about his travels. When he went around the corner to the toilet she started recording on her mobile phone.
“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.
“She said ‘I felt intimidated and his actions were sexually motivated. It had an impact on my existing anxiety and feelings of being safe’.”
The girl reported him to the police the next day and he was arrested.
During his interview with officers, Konofilia claimed the girl told him she was 18 and needed his help.
He said he did not kiss her but did put an arm around her to comfort her and she pulled away.
Konofilia was moved from Bibby Stockholm following the sex attack and was moved to former university accommodation converted to house 100 asylum seekers in Coventry.
Although he speaks English, he said his first language was Pijin, a common language in the Solomon Islands.
He previously claimed he had two interviews for his asylum claim, which depended on the outcome of this case.
The Bibby Stockholm barge, which had been moored in Portland, Dorset, was decommissioned after Labour came to power last year.
Konofilia, who is now living in a migrant hotel in Wolverhampton, told the court: “There’s a danger for my family if I go to prison.
“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.
“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.”
There are currently no specific visas for Solomon Islanders to enter the UK to seek asylum.
Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are the primary destinations for asylum seekers from the Solomon Islands.
BNPSKonofilia was staying on the Bibby Stockholm migrant barge at the time[/caption]
BNPSHe attempted to follow the victim but she managed to lose him[/caption]
©Graham HuntThe attack took place on Weymouth Beach[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
