Asylum seeker who sexually assaulted two lone women in Falkirk jailed

A “predatory” asylum seeker who sexually assaulted two women in Falkirk has been jailed for four years.

Muhammad Sheikhi was sentenced on Monday, after being found guilty at a trial in May.

The 23-year-old carried out both attacks in the early hours of Sunday, November 30, close to the Hotel Cladhan, where he had been staying.

He targeted the first woman at a railway bridge on Kerse Lane, where he hugged her, repeatedly kissed her on the face and mouth, and put his hands under her skirt.

He then sexually assaulted a second woman in Kerse Lane and the nearby Bellsmeadow skate park, where he pinned her against a tree before putting his hands under her clothing.

Both of his victims were in their early 20s, and both had been walking home alone after nights out in the town centre.

Sheikhi, who came to the UK by boat, had denied the charges and told police he had just been “roaming around” as he did not have anyone to socialise with in his hotel.

However, following a four-day trial at Stirling Sheriff Court in May, a jury found the 23-year-old guilty of both charges after three hours of deliberation.

Sheriff Keith O’Mahony said at sentencing said: “You deliberately targeted women who were alone and vulnerable as they walked home.”

He said they were “not spontaneous”, calling them “deliberate” and “predatory”.

In mitigation, defence lawyer Paul Keenan had said 23-year-old Sheikhi arrived in the UK by boat, having fled Syria.

The court heard how the asylum seeker still had bullet wounds from being shot by ISIS, and was told how four members of Sheikhi’s close family had been killed.

Mr Keenan said Sheikhi maintains he intended no harm, after he repeated throughout his trial earlier this year that he was innocent.

The 23-year-old, who was sentenced via an interpreter, wept throughout.

He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, backdated to December 1, 2025.

He’s also been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.