A former Solomon Islands footballer who sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl has avoided prison, instead receiving a community order.
Moffat Konofilia, 48, kissed the teenager twice on the lips after telling her he had never been so close to a white woman.
The assault happened in Weymouth, Dorset, on December 15, 2023, while he was living on the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge.
The distressed victim reported the incident to police the following morning. Konofilia denied sexual assault but was convicted after a trial.
In court, he begged magistrates not to jail him, claiming he needed to support his wife and children.
He also thanked the UK for “looking after me,The British are looking after me for accommodation, food and i appreciate Great Britain for looking after me.”
Prosecutor Robert Salame told the court that Konofilia had followed the girl to the beach uninvited, smelt of alcohol, and made the teenager feel intimidated.
She said she froze during the assault and that it worsened her existing anxiety and fears for her safety.
Konofilia, who once played as a striker for the Solomon Islands national football team and runs a football academy, has been in Britain for nearly three years as an asylum seeker. He claimed he had never committed an offence either in the UK or his home country and insisted: “I am not a criminal.”
Magistrates described the case as a serious sexual offence but opted against imprisonment. Instead, Konofilia was handed an 18-month community order, which includes 60 hours of unpaid work, 26 rehabilitation days, and a 100-day alcohol abstinence tag.
He will also remain on the sex offenders’ register for five years.He was ordered to pay a surcharge at a rate of £5 per week from his £8 Home Office benefits.
