A Jordanian asylum seeker accused of a violent assault has gone on the run after failing to return to court following a lunch break during his trial.
Mustafa Al Mbaidin, 29, was attending proceedings at Bournemouth Crown Court when he was granted permission to leave the courtroom during the midday recess. The judge had ordered him to remain within the court building and its surrounding precincts.
However, when the court resumed, the defendant was nowhere to be found.
Judge Kerry Maylin issued a warrant for his arrest after concluding that Al Mbaidin had deliberately breached the conditions of his bail.
“I bailed him with strict conditions that he stay within the court building and precincts,” the judge said. “The reality is that the only conclusion I can draw is that he has voluntarily chosen to disobey the conditions that the court put on his bail.”
Police have launched a search for the fugitive, who had been on trial over a violent altercation that left a man seriously injured. Authorities said Al Mbaidin has not yet been located.
The court heard that the incident occurred on January 24 last year in Poole, Dorset, when Al Mbaidin was helping a woman move house.
Sophie Burnett had hired a van for the move and the Jordanian national and another man, Muhammed Al-Aseel, assisted with loading her belongings.
Read related report from New Daily Prime:
Govt to pay failed asylum seekers up to £40k to leave UK
UK scraps automatic five-year settlement for Asylum seekers
Illegal migrant still fighting asylum case 28 years after arriving in UK
During the day, Al Mbaidin allegedly made Ms Burnett uncomfortable by suggesting he should stay the night at her flat. According to the prosecution, he also made inappropriate remarks about her appearance in Arabic to his colleague.
Ms Burnett later asked Mr Al-Aseel to help remove Al Mbaidin from her home after his behaviour became increasingly unsettling.
Prosecutors said the situation quickly escalated into violence.
Mr Al-Aseel was allegedly placed in a headlock and head-butted before being struck repeatedly with objects taken from the kitchen, including a wine glass, a vodka bottle and a metal kettle.
The attack left the victim with a three-centimetre head wound and facial bruising.
“Muhammed told me to call the police,” Ms Burnett told the court. “Up until then he had just been telling me to stay calm.”
John Dyer, prosecuting, said that after leaving the flat, Al Mbaidin contacted a woman who assisted asylum seekers and admitted in Arabic that he had committed a disgraceful act.
“He told her, ‘I have done something disgraceful,’” Mr Dyer said.
The court was also told that Al Mbaidin later went to a nearby burger bar where his behaviour became so aggressive that members of the public had to restrain him until police arrived.
Officers reported that he also spat at them during the arrest.
Al Mbaidin admitted causing the injuries but presented a different version of events, claiming the victim had acted aggressively toward him and attempted to strangle him. He also denied making any inappropriate comments about Ms Burnett.
The court had been conducting a trial of issue before sentencing could take place on a charge of wounding.
Al Mbaidin has previously appeared before the courts for other offences, including pestering female joggers on Bournemouth beach while intoxicated and assaulting police officers.
On that occasion, he received a conditional discharge after the court was told his limited English would make community service difficult because he would require an interpreter.
A new date for the continuation of the case has not yet been set, and police say efforts to locate the defendant remain ongoing.
