An asylum seeker who knocked a young woman unconscious outside a Bournemouth nightclub remained at large for more than 10 weeks despite being wanted on three arrest warrants, a court has heard. Abdoela Berhan, 35, an Eritrean national, was eventually arrested after inadvertently handing himself in when he attended a courthouse that had closed for building work. Southampton Magistrates’ Court heard Berhan had failed to attend three separate court hearings before disappearing from the radar of authorities. He was eventually arrested on 2 July after travelling from Warwick, where he had been relocated to another asylum hotel, to Poole Magistrates’ Court believing he was due to answer bail. Finding the court closed, he attended a nearby police station, where officers arrested him after checks revealed three outstanding warrants.
Woman left unconscious
Berhan was found guilty of assaulting Cleo Lake, who was 20 at the time of the attack, after punching her outside Cameo nightclub in Bournemouth. The court heard Miss Lake and two friends had left the nightclub and stopped to get food when Berhan approached the group. After allegedly making the women feel uncomfortable and attempting to put his arm around one of them, Miss Lake told him to leave them alone. Prosecutors said Berhan became aggressive, swore at her and invaded her personal space. When she pushed him away, he responded by punching her once in the face, knocking her unconscious before fleeing the scene. Miss Lake suffered a broken nose and a black eye. Berhan later claimed he had acted in self-defence.
Previous violent offences
The assault came just a week after Berhan had been convicted of another violent attack. He admitted spitting at and kicking Subway employee Sahjan Chowdhury after being asked to leave the restaurant. CCTV footage captured the incident, and Berhan was later identified after returning to the same branch as a Just Eat delivery driver. The court also heard that while living in Bournemouth, Berhan was arrested after refusing to comply with a police dispersal order outside another nightclub. Officers reportedly used Google Translate to explain the notice, but Berhan allegedly responded that he “didn’t care” before tearing it up. He was also arrested for criminal damage after allegedly spitting inside a police van. Three days later, he admitted smashing a window in his room at the Britannia Hotel, although he claimed he had accidentally cracked it after waking from a nightmare.
Mother criticises police
Cleo Lake’s mother, Helen O’Brien, criticised the handling of the case after hearing Berhan had managed to avoid arrest for more than two months. She said:
“I find it absolutely ridiculous that the police would know where he is, but the courts don’t, and that information isn’t being filtered through to the relevant people.
“It seems like they do not care that people like him are committing these offences, that there are warrants for his arrest, that he beat Cleo up and left her for dead.
“I’m happy he’s been caught, and Cleo can hopefully move on, but I’m so disappointed in our police forces. It’s crazy the amount of time it has taken. How many other offences could he have committed since then?”
She added that police “need to have a better awareness of where these people are and keep better track of them.”
Police enquiries
The court heard Berhan had been moved from Bournemouth to accommodation in Warwick in January. After the first arrest warrant was issued on 23 April, Dorset Police visited his last known address at the Britannia Hotel but were informed he no longer lived there. Officers then made enquiries with partner agencies and other police forces but were unable to locate him until he effectively handed himself in on 2 July. Berhan has admitted multiple offences, including criminal damage, assaults and three counts of failing to surrender to court bail. District Judge Orla Austin told the court he was “almost certainly” facing an immediate prison sentence but ordered probation reports before sentencing later this month. Defending, Guy Gosheron said Berhan believed he was due to answer bail when he travelled back to Dorset from Warwick. A spokesperson for Dorset Police said officers had carried out arrest enquiries following the first warrant and continued to liaise with partner agencies and police forces after learning Berhan had moved from his previous address. Berhan has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing later this month.
