Syrian asylum seeker avoids jail despite sexually assaulting three women

An asylum seeker who sexually assaulted three women has been spared jail. Qais Al-Aswad, originally from Syria, lived at a Surrey hotel when he sexually assaulted the women in Horley in May and June this year.

Following the 26-year-old's conviction on August 20, around 200 anti-immigration protesters gathered outside the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Horley, where he had lived. He was sentenced at Staines Magistrates' Court on Wednesday to six months in custody, suspended for two years.

Reading a victim impact statement to the court, one of his victims, who had been shopping in the town when he grabbed her by her pelvis, said: "What upsets me the most about this whole incident is how an individual who himself claims to be seeking safety and happiness, feels he has the right to remove those same things from myself and other women."

The court heard that when the victim swore at the defendant after he assaulted her, he blew a kiss at her.

She said: "Following the incident I was left feeling frustrated at the arrogance of the person who committed the assault.

"As well as upset that they think they're able to do things like this to people who are just minding their own business.

"I also felt, and still do feel, very disgusted by their actions."

The defendant, who wore a prison-issue grey tracksuit in the dock and was flanked by a security guard, spoke only to confirm his personal details and that he understood the conditions of his sentence.

Al-Aswad, who arrived in the UK from Turkey in 2024, was also sentenced to 40 days of rehabilitation activity, 200 hours of unpaid work and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, whereby he has to wear a monitoring tag at all times.