Leazes Park sex attack accused tells court girl grabbed him after selfies
A Syrian teenager who came to the UK to escape the civil war has denied sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in a Newcastle park and told a jury she grabbed hold of him after they took selfies together.
Omar Badreddin, 18, denied apologising to the girl after they kissed in Leazes Park, telling a jury: I did not do anything wrong that deserves an apology.''
Newcastle Crown Court has heard that two 14-year-old local schoolgirls were allegedly sexually assaulted by three Syrians in separate alleged attacks on consecutive days in May.
Badreddin denies one count of sexual assault, as does co-accused Mohammed Allakkoud, 18.
Married Mohammed Alfrouh, 20, denies three counts of sexual assault.
Badreddin, giving evidence from the witness box in Arabic with an interpreter, said he grew up on the outskirts of Damascus, left school at 14 because of the civil war and moved to Jordan.
The defendant, who has two sisters and a younger brother, said his older brother died aged 21 in Syria.
Badreddin said he worked for 12-14 hours a day in Jordan to support his family because his father had back and eye problems.
He said he came to the UK last November through a scheme organised by the UN and the British Government, and was given accommodation in the Kenton area of Newcastle.
He went to a local school and was helped with his English as it had an Arabic-speaking teacher, the jury heard.
On May 10, he recalled going to the park after school and seeing two girls by the swings.
He and his friends walked off and he remembered the girls following.
He said he could not understand what the girls were saying but understood the word selfie'', which was the same in Arabic, when one of them asked him for a picture with her.
She had also put her number in his mobile phone, Badreddin told the court.
He said she used Google Translate to ask him his age, and he told her in English he was 18.
Soon after, Badreddin said she took his hand and led him off a short distance before she kissed him on the cheek.
He added: *When she kissed me I took my hand away, I was surprised.*
We went further and she tried to kiss me again.
I refused that.
She tried in order to lure me, attract me, by putting my hand down below.''
Badreddin claimed she tried to stop him walking off, but that he and his friends then went to the city centre.
Alfrouh is alleged to have sexually assaulted her while Allakkoud held her mouth and nose while Badreddin also allegedly molested the same girl.
John Wilkinson, defending Badreddin, asked him: She said when she gave her interview that you had apologised to her. Did you apologise to her?''
Badreddin replied: No, never, why should I?
I didn't do anything wrong that deserves an apology from me.''
Earlier, Judge Edward Bindloss told the jury of two major'' errors made by the interpreter during co-accused Alfrouh's interview with detectives.
Jurors were told to ignore the original transcript of his interview and were read a re-translated version of what the Arabic speaker said.
The trial continues.