Asylum Seeker Remanded in Custody for Sexual Offences on Trains and at Pool
An asylum seeker has been imprisoned after admitting to sexually assaulting two women on ScotRail services and committing a separate act of voyeurism at a leisure pool. Mohammed Mirzai, 24, believed to be from Afghanistan, targeted his victims in a series of disturbing incidents last year.
Train Assaults Between Glasgow and Polmont
Mirzai assaulted two women on their upper thighs during journeys on ScotRail trains between Glasgow Queen Street and Polmont in Stirlingshire. The first attack occurred on March 14, 2023, with the second following just over a week later on March 22. British Transport Police arrested him in connection with these crimes.
At Falkirk Sheriff Court, Mirzai pleaded guilty to both sexual assault charges. Court documents listed his address as the Radisson Blu hotel in Perth, also known as the Station Hotel, which is used by the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers.
Additional Voyeurism Offence While on Bail
Defence solicitor Gary McIlravey revealed that Mirzai is also facing sentencing at Perth Sheriff Court for an analogous offence committed on October 25, 2023, while he was on bail for the train assaults. In this incident, Mirzai engaged in voyeurism at Perth Leisure Pool by crawling along the floor to peer up at a naked swimmer towelling herself in a locked cubicle.
Mr McIlravey confirmed that Mirzai is an asylum seeker under the oversight of the Home Office. The court heard that the 28-year-old victim, a disabled woman attending the pool for physiotherapy, discovered Mirzai staring up at her from the adjacent cubicle floor.
Court Proceedings and Custody Decision
Falkirk sheriff Maryam Labaki deferred sentencing until March 26 to await a criminal justice social work report on Mirzai. Despite Mr McIlravey's submission to continue bail, Sheriff Labaki revoked it, remanding Mirzai in custody.
Through an interpreter, Sheriff Labaki told Mirzai: 'These are serious charges. You'll be remanded in custody because I am concerned about the risk of reoffending you pose and the safety of the public. You committed a similar offence whilst on bail from Falkirk Sheriff Court.'
A full narration of the facts in the Falkirk case will be presented at the next hearing. Mirzai has admitted to observing the woman performing a private act by lying on the floor to watch her, highlighting the severity of his actions across multiple locations.
