Quick-thinking mother confronts asylum seeker who grabbed her 16-year-old girl and takes his picture

A quick-thinking mother tracked down a Sudanese asylum seeker who had just sexually assaulted her 16-year-old daughter, before confronting him and taking a photo of him.

The sex offender approached the girl minutes after she left work. The mother and daughter then searched the area for the man and his amateur detective work paid off when he was later jailed for a year.

Mahmood Noor Ibrahim, 39, a Sudanese asylum seeker living in Hull, admitted to sexual assault in November last year.

Hull magistrates originally jailed him for a year on 1 December, but he appealed that sentence at Hull Crown Court.

During the appeal hearing, a judge said Noor Ibrahim posed a high risk of serious harm to the public, particularly women.

However, he was granted a two-month reduction in his prison sentence because the magistrates had not given him a sufficient discount for his early guilty plea.

Rachel Scott, the prosecutor, told the hearing that the 16-year-old had finished work late at night and was walking through the Paragon Interchange in Hull city center to meet her mother, who was due to pick her up.

Noor Ibrahim approached her and asked, ‘Where have you been?’

She said that she had been at work and he asked her ‘if she had been with anyone’, to which she innocently replied that she was waiting for her mother to pick her up.

Ibrahim then grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.

Miss Scott said: “She was left feeling scared and insecure and a minute later her mother came to pick her up.”

‘He told his mother what had happened. They drove along the road in search of the male.

“They found the man on Paragon Street, which is very close to where the incident occurred.”

The girl’s mother got out of the car and approached the man and took pictures of him with her mobile phone.

“She had a pint of spirits in her right hand,” said Miss Scott.

The mother asked, ‘Did you just grab my daughter? You’re not going to get away with it.

Noor Ibrahim didn’t answer and kept walking down South Street.

The matter was reported to the police the next day, and as a result of the investigations, the police went to the address where Noor Ibrahim was staying. He was arrested.

Noor Ibrahim admitted to kissing the girl but did not comment on whether it was consensual, the court heard.

He claimed that he thought the girl was between 20 and 25 years old and claimed that she told him she was 17 years old.

The girl later said that the incident had upset her and made her feel very uncomfortable.

“She feels scared and insecure now,” said Miss Scott. Noor Ibrahim had no criminal record in this country. He had been here for two years, the court heard.

Marc Luxford, representing Noor Ibrahim, said it was “disgusting behaviour” involving a vulnerable 16-year-old girl late at night, but that the defendant had been drinking.

He tried to downplay the offense in an interview with the probation service, but showed remorse.

“He is sorry for the offence,” said Mr. Luxford. He was drunk.

Noor Ibrahim was seeking asylum in Sudan and still had family living there.

Registrar David Gordon, sitting with two magistrates, allowed the appeal and reduced Noor Ibrahim’s sentence from one year to 10 months because the magistrates had not given him enough discount for his early guilty plea.

But Recorder Gordon said Noor Ibrahim had been assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm to the public, particularly women, and especially sexual harm.

A future breach could occur ‘at any time,’ according to the assessment. “That’s concerning,” Registrar Gordon said.

‘This offense was extremely upsetting to that young woman, who in law is considered a child.

“She said this incident upset her and made her uncomfortable and left her feeling scared and insecure.

‘This offense has had a serious detrimental effect on the complainant.

It is considered to pose a high risk of serious harm to the public, particularly women.

‘You are an asylum seeker in this country. The victim was particularly vulnerable, a lonely 16-year-old woman living alone in Hull city center late at night.

‘You specifically targeted a vulnerable victim.’

Noor Ibrahim received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.