An Ethiopian asylum seeker whose arrest sparked far-right protests outside a hotel in Epping has told a court he did not touch two teenage girls or a woman. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 35, denies three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence.
Appearing at Colchester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, Kebatu said through an interpreter: 'I'm not a wild animal. I can't do these kind of things.' He added that the allegations were 'anti-Christian' and that the girls were 'innocent children'. Kebatu, who said he was a sports teacher in Ethiopia, claimed he only said 'hello' to the schoolgirl and her friends in Epping town centre because he was worried about his asylum case.
The adult accuser, who cannot be named, told the court via video link that she was 'shocked' and 'angry' after Kebatu touched her thigh and she witnessed him touching one of the 14-year-old girls on 8 July. Kebatu claimed the woman was drunk and had threatened to call the police if he did not go to her house. He said he apologised to her on his knees to calm her down, and was worried about the impact on other immigrants at the Bell hotel.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Stuart Cowen, Kebatu denied being a 'sexual predator', saying: 'I am not such a person. I can't do these kind of things.' The court heard that Kebatu had been living at the hotel for about a week before his arrest, having travelled to the UK via Sudan, Libya, Italy and France, paying around €1,800 (£1,550) to cross the Channel in a small boat.
The case has attracted significant publicity due to Kebatu's status as an asylum seeker. His arrest last month led to weeks of violent demonstrations outside the Bell hotel, prompting Epping Forest Council to obtain a court injunction to stop the hotel being used to house asylum seekers. District Judge Christopher Williams adjourned the trial until 4 September.
