The mother of a young woman who was knocked unconscious by a violent asylum seeker after she rejected his advances outside a nightclub has urged the police to find him. Helen O'Brien could be heard gasping aloud in court as the footage of her daughter, Cleo Lake, 21, being punched and knocked out by Abdoela Berhan, an Eritrean national, was played.
The Incident
Berhan, 35, was outside a nightclub in Bournemouth when he approached Miss Lake and her two friends. After they rejected him, he grew violent and attacked Miss Lake. He failed to turn up for court but was found guilty of the assault, just a week after he was convicted of attacking a Subway worker. He remains on the run, with police saying only that 'enquiries are ongoing'. Magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest, and the migrant, whose address was given as the taxpayer-funded Britannia migrant hotel, is now facing time in prison.
Mother's Concerns
Ms O'Brien said it was frightening that Berhan was still roaming the streets despite having three arrest warrants out for him. She also criticised the government for allowing the Eritrean national into the country in the first place. 'It's scary to think he's still out there and could be doing this to more people,' Ms O'Brien said. 'I don't want any other parent to feel like I did that night. I feel he's never going to be found, he's roaming around somewhere doing whatever he pleases.'
Details of the Attack
Berhan approached Miss Lake and her friends after they left Cameo nightclub in Bournemouth during the early hours of December 7, 2024, and tried to put his arm around one of them. Miss Lake, who was 20 years old at the time, told him to 'f*** off' and pushed him away. Berhan aimed a kick at her, and Miss Lake retaliated with a kick of her own. The hotel migrant then pulled his left arm back and swung a fist at her face, leaving her unconscious for around five minutes. Miss Lake described the footage as 'hard to watch', showing Berhan fleeing the scene after the attack.
Legal Proceedings
When later arrested, Berhan claimed he acted in self-defence, but he failed to turn up for court and was found guilty of the assault. The case came only a week after he was convicted of attacking a Subway worker in another violent incident caught on CCTV. Berhan then faced a third trial for criminal damage to a police cell, in which he was also found guilty in his absence. Despite three separate warrants for his arrest, Berhan remains at large.
Victim's Statement
Miss Lake, who suffered a broken nose in the attack, said it's 'really frustrating' that he still hasn't been caught. The waitress and bartender said: 'I know how slow the police are with things, it doesn't feel like they are trying very hard. I don't know if he will end up getting what he deserves. And it's quite scary knowing he's probably still out there, maybe still in the area.' Her mother said she thought he had disappeared and police will never find him.
Aftermath
Miss Lake was taken to hospital by ambulance but went home after waiting four hours to be seen. When she later went to the GP about fixing her crooked nose, they said it had definitely been broken in the assault. Miss Lake said: 'After I didn't go out for a while. I got quite a bit of bad anxiety around men, I just felt really uncomfortable around them. Even now, a year and a half later, I won't go out clubbing unless there's a lot of us or someone's boyfriend is there, for protection. Because I have the thought that something bad will kick off.'
Berhan told police after his arrest that he didn't do it with any intention of assaulting her and it was a reaction to being pushed. Judge Orla Austin said she was satisfied Berhan was guilty of assault and made a warrant for his arrest, adding: 'Prison is very much in the forefront of my mind'.
