LONDON (AP) — An Ethiopian man was found guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl days after he had sought asylum in Britain, in a case that triggered angry protests at hotels housing migrants.
A judge at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court east of London convicted Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu 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.
Prosecutors said Kebatu, 41, had arrived in England by small boat just over a week before he tried to kiss the 14-year-old on a bench in the town of Epping, put his hand on her thigh and stroked her hair.
He also sexually assaulted a woman who had offered to help him with his CV by trying to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty, the prosecution said.
Kebatu had denied the charges.
Judge Christopher Williams said he would sentence the defendant on Sept. 23.
Kebatu's arrest and prosecution sparked protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, where he was staying along with other newly arrived migrants. More protests followed, in Epping and other towns, involving local people but also organized and attended by far-right activists. In some cases the demonstrators were outnumbered by counterprotesters supporting refugees.
Tensions have long simmered over the British government’s policy of using hotels to house migrants who are awaiting a decision on their asylum status. Critics say it costs taxpayers millions of pounds, while the hotels become flashpoints in communities and leave migrants feeling targeted by local residents.
The British government has pledged to stop migrants trying to reach Britain across the Channel and to end the use of asylum hotels, but says it will take time.
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Protesters gather outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, near London, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 after a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum seekers from being housed at the hotel was overturned. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Police officers escort protesters near the Bell Hotel in Epping, London, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 after a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum seekers from being housed at the hotel was overturned. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
ICHIKAWA, Japan (AP) — Punch, the orphaned monkey at a Japanese zoo that stole many people's hearts by clinging to an orangutan plushie, is marking his first birthday with a flood of well-wishing messages from his fans around the world — even though he now has friends and is no longer holding on to the toy.
Punch was abandoned by his mother after his birth a year ago Sunday, presumably because of exhaustion. Zookeepers nursed him and gave him the toy to develop his gripping ability, something newborn macaques need to survive.
Punch is no longer a plump baby with the plushie and he's hard to distinguish from other monkeys as he mingles and plays with them at an enclosure at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden.
He still attracts big crowds, and has received some 2,500 birthday cards from inside and outside Japan, said Takashi Yasunaga, head of the zoo. Many of the cards and other messages fill the walls at an indoor Punch birthday exhibit where visitors can also view video chronicling Punch from his earliest days.
“As Punch was trying very hard struggling to live each day, his two keepers did everything they can while other staff watched over him,” Yasunaga said, recalling the past year. “It was extremely hot when Punch was born. The memory is still clear to me as the hot season returns."
In mid-January, after six months of special care by his keepers, Punch was placed into the zoo’s monkey enclosure to join some 50 other monkeys — a challenge that led to his fame.
In February, images of Punch with his toy posted by the zoo on social media immediately became a sensation and drove tens of thousand of visitors to the zoo, half of them from overseas, Yasunaga said.
When other monkeys shooed the baby away, Punch rushed back to the toy orangutan, hugging it for comfort. Fans cheered him with a #HangInTherePunch tag on social media.
It was not just the cuteness factor of seeing Punch with his toy, but also his lone struggle to be gradually accepted by others that struck a chord, fans say.
Kumi Ishizawa, a Kobe resident who was at the birthday exhibit, said she found Punch on social media earlier this year. From then on, overcoming her illness to come see him had become her goal.
“He moved me ... I kept on telling myself that I'm going to get well and come visit to see Punch," said Ishizawa, who has since recovered and dropped by the zoo after wrapping up a business trip. “And here I am, I made it. I'm very happy I could finally see him in person."
Yeye Lights, a longtime resident in the city, had never visited the zoo until she became a Punch fan and now has an annual visitor pass. She was hooked by Punch after her daughter in the Philippines told her about the monkey.
“I have a cake for Punch-kun, I'm celebrating with my friends,” Lights said, using an affectionate Japanese honorific for boys. She thanked the monkey's two carers for taking good care of him.
Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.
Punch, a young Japanese macaque, plays at Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden in Ichikawa, east of Tokyo, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A visitor reaches toward birthday messages for Punch, a young Japanese macaque, displayed ahead of his first birthday at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden in Ichikawa, east of Tokyo, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors gather to watch Punch, a young Japanese macaque, at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden in Ichikawa, east of Tokyo, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Punch, a young Japanese macaque, plays at Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden in Ichikawa, east of Tokyo, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Punch, a young Japanese macaque, plays at Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden in Ichikawa, east of Tokyo, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
