An Ethiopian asylum seeker whose arrest in July triggered angry protests outside a migrant housing hotel near London has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman. The protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, about 20 miles (32 km) north of London, ignited a wave of nationwide demonstrations amid growing tensions over immigration.

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was convicted at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, attempting to assault the girl further, inciting her to engage in sexual activity, and harassment. “This incident caused deep concern within the local community,” said prosecutor Rebecca Mundy.

Immigration has increasingly dominated UK politics, overtaking concerns about the economy, as the country faces record asylum claims and migrant arrivals by small boats across the Channel. Prosecutors said that on July 7, the teenage girl had offered Kebatu pizza after seeing he looked hungry. He then tried to kiss her, touched her thigh, and told her he wanted a baby with her and her friend, later inviting them back to the hotel. The following day, he allegedly tried to kiss her again while she was in school uniform.

District Judge Christopher Williams said the girl’s testimony remained consistent and credible, rejecting claims that she or other witnesses had fabricated their accounts. Kebatu, who had been at the Bell Hotel for only a week before the incident, denied the charges, insisting he was “not a wild animal.” He claimed the woman had given him her phone number and repeatedly invited him to her home.

His arrest set off protests outside the hotel, some turning violent, and led to a temporary local council injunction stopping asylum seekers from being housed there. That order was overturned last week after a government appeal. Opposition parties accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of prioritizing migrants’ rights over those of local residents. As of June, over 32,000 migrants were being accommodated in hotels across Britain. The government has pledged to end this practice before the next general election, scheduled for 2029.