Surrey hotel asylum-seeker avoids jail for sexual assaults
Qais Al-Aswad has been given a 6 month suspended sentence and 200 hours of community work for a series of sexual assaults against three different women in Horley
Last updated 22nd Oct 2025
A man staying in a hotel for asylum seekers in Horley has avoided jail for a series of sexual assaults.
Qais Al-Aswad has been given a three six month suspended sentences to run concurrently and 200 hours of community work for a series of sexual assaults against three different women in Horley.
Staines Magistrates Court added that he will also be required to wear an ankle tag and has been given 40 days of rehabilitation
Qais Al-Aswad was convicted of the three charges between May 23rd and June 12th this year.
The 26-year-old was due to be sentenced last week, but an Arabic translator wasn't available.
The incidents happened along the same bike path where he cycled home from his work at a car wash.
The hotel at which Al-Aswad stayed at in Horley has seen protests in recent months.
The victims in court say that the attacks had left them shocked upset and angry with one of the victims saying:
“It’s unfair that an individual claiming he is looking for safety and happiness feels that he has the same right to remove those rights from women”
The court heard that Al-Aswad claimed that he was unfamiliar with UK laws at the time of the assault.
Al-Aswad also told the court previously that the brakes on his bike were faulty, and needed to touch the women to avoid a crash.
Judge Julie Cooper says that although there was planning in the assaults, there wasn't enough for it to be labelled significant planning.