Conviction of Sexual Assaults in Falkirk
A migrant resident of a hotel has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women in Falkirk within just over an hour.
Muhammad Sheikhi, aged 33, committed the assaults after the victims left separate nightclubs during the early hours of a Sunday morning in November last year.
He was subsequently arrested in his room at the Cladhan Hotel, a location known for repeated rival protests involving pro- and anti-immigration demonstrators.
Sheikhi was placed on the sex offenders register prior to his sentencing scheduled for 29 June and was remanded in custody.
Details of the Assaults
At Stirling Sheriff Court, it was revealed that Sheikhi targeted the first woman at a railway bridge on Kerse Lane in Falkirk. There, he hugged her, repeatedly kissed her on the face and mouth, and placed his hands under her skirt.
He then sexually assaulted a second woman in the vicinity of Kerse Lane and the nearby Bellsmeadow skatepark. During this incident, he pinned her against a tree and put his hands beneath her clothing.
Both victims were in their early twenties.
Sheikhi, who arrived in the UK by boat and was accommodated at the Cladhan Hotel by the Home Office, denied the charges. He told police that he had been "roaming around" because he had no one to socialise with at the hotel.
He denied any sexual contact with the women, stating to police:
"Only animals would do that publicly."
In addition to the two women assaulted, CCTV footage showed Sheikhi approaching a third woman, who then walked away.
A jury composed of 12 women and three men found him guilty of both sexual assaults following a four-day trial.
The jury dismissed an allegation related solely to the skatepark incident that the sexual assault was carried out with intent to rape.
Although an Arabic interpreter was present, Sheikhi told police:
"I am just a young man like everybody else who wants to have a good time."
His defence advocate, Paul Keenan, reserved mitigation until the sentencing hearing.
Prosecutor's Closing Argument
In his closing speech, prosecutor Jamie Hilland described Sheikhi's conduct as "predatory" towards the two women.
Hilland stated:
"On their evidence, the accused approached both women, he's tried to give them his phone. He tried to get them to add him on Snapchat.
In both cases he's tried to corner the complainer and he then sexually assaulted both of them."
The prosecutor highlighted the distress caused to both women, referencing a phone call one victim made to her father after the assault.
Hilland said:
"(Her father) said she could hardly talk, she could hardly breathe. It was the point where he was struggling to understand her.
She told him she had been sexually assaulted at the railway bridge by a man who put his hand under her skirt and tried to kiss her."
Defence Closing Argument
In his closing remarks, Keenan urged the jury to acquit Sheikhi of both charges, arguing that the evidence was "flawed throughout."
