A 'predatory' man who cornered women walking home from nights out and sexually assaulted them has been found guilty. Muhammad Sheikhi, 23, was convicted of sexually assaulting two women in Falkirk, Scotland, last year. The attacks occurred in the early hours of Sunday, 30 November, near the Hotel Cladhan where he was residing.
Sheikhi targeted his first victim at a railway bridge, where he embraced her, repeatedly kissed her on the face and mouth, and placed his hands under her skirt. He then assaulted a second woman on a street and at a nearby skate park, pressing her against a tree before placing his hands under her clothing. Both victims were in their early twenties and had been walking home alone after nights out in the town centre.
The Syrian asylum seeker, who arrived in the UK by boat, denied the charges. He told police he was simply 'roaming around' as he had no one to socialise with at his hotel. However, after a four-day trial at Stirling Sheriff Court, a jury found him guilty of both charges following three hours of deliberation.
Sheriff Keith O'Mahony stated: 'You have been convicted of two very serious charges. As far as this court is concerned you have no previous convictions. Therefore, as a matter of law, I require to obtain a report before sentencing.'
Sheikhi showed no emotion as the verdict was delivered, appearing in court wearing a grey jumper and blue jeans. In his closing address, prosecutor Jamie Hilland described Sheikhi's behaviour as 'predatory'. He said: 'I suggest that the evidence demonstrates that in the early hours of November 30 last year, the accused behaved in a predatory manner towards these two women and he sexually assaulted them. There are compelling similarities between the two crimes. These were so closely linked in time and circumstances as to form part of a single course of criminal conduct systematically pursued by the accused.'
Hilland added that Sheikhi approached both women, tried to give them his phone, and attempted to get them to add him on Snapchat. He cornered them and sexually assaulted them. The prosecutor highlighted the distress of one victim, who called her father after the assault. 'He said she could hardly talk, she could hardly breathe. It was the point where he was struggling to understand her,' Hilland said. 'She told him she had been sexually assaulted at the railway bridge by a man who put his hand under her skirt and tried to kiss her.'
Despite defence lawyer Paul Keenan urging the jury to acquit, claiming the case was 'flawed throughout', the jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts. Sheikhi is set to be sentenced on June 29.
