An asylum seeker who strangled and sexually assaulted a woman as she walked home from a night out in Cardiff has been jailed for more than three years.
Fawaz Alsamaou, 33, from Lockwood, Huddersfield, attacked the 24-year-old under a railway bridge in Cathays in the early hours of 12 May last year.
The victim had left Pulse nightclub in the city centre around 4 a.m. when she noticed Alsamaou following her before he grabbed her by the neck, dragged her under the bridge, and sexually assaulted her.
She managed to break free and call the police. After a public appeal, including an appearance on BBC Crimewatch, officers identified Alsamaou through CCTV and arrested him in Huddersfield, where he had been living since arriving from Syria.
At Newport Crown Court, Alsamaou admitted charges of sexual assault and strangulation. Judge Celia Hughes described it as a horrible attack and said it was highly likely the defendant would be deported after serving his sentence.
The victim, in a statement read to the court, said the assault left her anxious, fearful of going out, and struggling with her mental health.
“I’m always looking over my shoulder and thinking the worst,” she said.
Sentencing him to three years and one month in prison, Judge Hughes said the victim was entitled to walk home alone at night without being attacked by you, a predatory man.
South Wales Police said the conviction should bring closure to the survivor.
