An Iranian asylum seeker who arrived in Britain illegally on a small boat has been jailed for 11 years for attempting to rape a woman. Hossein Mohmoudi claimed he had a micropenis as part of his defence, but two doctors examined him and concluded his anatomy was perfectly normal.
Attack and arrest
Mohmoudi stalked his victim for approximately three miles as she travelled home from a Christmas party. He followed her onto a bus before attacking her in an alleyway. The woman feared for her life, and a passing cyclist intervened.
Before arriving in Britain, Mohmoudi had already accumulated five criminal convictions in Germany, including assault and criminal damage. He also received a ten-month prison sentence for piloting the small boat that brought him across the Channel, yet he was still able to claim asylum in Britain.
Cost and consequences
An 11-year prison sentence could cost taxpayers approximately £650,000 if served in full. The case has raised questions about how foreign criminals are able to claim asylum despite their criminal history.
Foreign criminals convicted of serious offences must face deportation at the earliest lawful opportunity, and politicians must confront the obstacles posed by the European Convention on Human Rights and overhaul a system that too often appears incapable of putting public safety first.
