WEYMOUTH SEX ATTACKER JAILED FOR ASSAULT ON YOUNG WOMAN
A Syrian sex attacker has been jailed for nearly three years by a judge who dismissed arguments that imprisoning him could breach his human rights.Hassan Hayleh, 40, who sought asylum in the UK in 2018 after fleeing Syria, was found guilty of attacking a 19-year-old woman in Weymouth.
The victim, sitting on the kerb waiting for her father, was sexually assaulted by Hayleh after he stopped his car and approached her.
He then tried to drag her into his vehicle, but members of the public intervened and stopped him.
During the trial, court heard that Hayleh had targeted the victim after driving around Weymouth streets with condoms in his car, later claiming he was looking for cigarettes.
CCTV footage captured him making three laps of the town before finding his victim, who had left a nightclub and called her father for pick-up.
He approached her, helped her up after she fell, then forcefully placed his hands down her trousers and inside her underwear.
When she refused to get into his car, she shouted for help, attracting the attention of three passersby.
Her father arrived shortly after, preventing further assault.
The court described Hayleh's actions as 'chilling' and emphasized that it was a planned attack.
The judge, Pawson, sentenced him to two years and 10 months in prison and issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for six years.
Hayleh's defense argued that imprisonment would worsen his PTSD, which resulted from torture and incarceration in Syria under Bashir Al-Assad, and that his human rights might be violated.
However, the judge rejected these arguments and highlighted the seriousness of the offense and the victim's vulnerability.
The victim, who cannot be named, gave a statement expressing her fear, nightmares, and the impact on her daily life.
Hayleh appeared in court with family members, requiring an Arabic interpreter, and since being found guilty, he has faced hostility including spitting and property damage.
Hayleh has no prior convictions and has shown remorse, with his lawyer suggesting a suspended sentence to aid his rehabilitation.
The judge concluded that Hayleh's attack was premeditated and commended the public for intervening, calling it a cautionary tale for young people to stay together.
