A court in England on Thursday convicted an Ethiopian asylum seeker of the sexual assault of a teenage girl and a woman, a case that ignited weeks of angry protests.

Hadush Kebatu was arrested on July 8 in Epping, northeast of London, after the two teenage victims complained he had tried to touch their legs. The 14-year-old girl also said he had tried to kiss her.

After a three-day trial, he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence.

Kebatu, thought to be 38, was staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping, where about 130 other refugees were housed and which following his arrest for the assaults became the target of repeated protests.

The demon

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