Boat Migrant Found Guilty at Southwark Crown Court
An asylum-seeker who arrived in the UK on a small boat is facing years behind bars after being convicted of raping a woman at a hostel in London. Yousif Al-Maliki, 30, launched the attack on a woman he had just met at the Astor Hostel in South Kensington on August 1 last year.
The Iraqi national, who claims he fled torture in Baghdad, denied the rape charge. However, a jury at Southwark Crown Court found him guilty by a majority verdict of 10-2 after a week-long trial.
Judge Warns: Prison Sentence Looms
Judge Christopher Hehir remanded Al-Maliki in custody ahead of sentencing on April 21. “You have been convicted by a jury of a very serious offence,” said the judge. “Be under no illusion, you will be going to prison for some time.”
Before sentencing, Judge Hehir ordered a dangerousness assessment by the probation service.
