Police in Scarborough have brought a man to justice for sexually assaulting a vulnerable woman in the town centre.
Muhamed Enwar Fadhlallah, 19, of Queen Street, Scarborough, was found guilty of sexual assault at York Crown Court yesterday (8 April).
He had denied the charge but was sentenced to 16 months in prison and placed on the Register of Sex Offenders for five years.
The incident took place at around 2.35am on Sunday 26 November 2023 in Scarborough town centre.
The victim, a local woman in her 40s, had been drinking and was lying on the ground when Fadhlallah approached her.
A North Yorkshire Council CCTV operator had been monitoring Fadhlallah after observing him loitering and watching groups of women.
The operator witnessed and recorded the assault, which showed Fadhlallah picking the woman up and cuddling and stroking her, despite the woman’s friend saying they did not need any help.
The CCTV operator gave evidence stating that the defendant was seen to be touching the woman’s breasts over her clothing in a deliberate manner on more than one occasion.
Police officers were alerted to the scene and were able to carry out a rapid review of the CCTV footage of the incident.
Fadhlallah was arrested, taken into custody for questioning, and later released on conditional bail while enquiries continued.
At the trial, he was also charged with raping another woman at the Dean Road cemetery just before 2am on Saturday 20 July 2024. He was found not guilty of that charge.
Detective Sergeant Michele Fawcett, from the Major Investigation Team, said:
“The quick-thinking actions of the CCTV operator and the attending police officers were crucial in identifying Fadhlallah as the suspect of the sexual assault.
“He has been proved to be a dangerous predator who sought out a vulnerable woman for his own sexual gratification.
“The victim has been incredibly brave to support the prosecution of this dangerous man.”