This was the third time Hamad had committed a sexual offence
JAN 2025
A man subjected two women to a terrifying attack as they walked in Cardiff after a night out. It was the latest in a spree of sexual assaults and other disturbing crimes by Ali Hamad within a few months.
Hamad approached the two young women — who did not know him — in the early hours of November 24 last year as they walked home along Cathays Terrace. He sexually assaulted one and slapped the other to the face three times before a passer-by intervened and police arrested Hamad. In the four months prior he had committed three other sexual assaults as well as offences of exposing himself and outraging public decency.
Cardiff Magistrates’ Court heard there was confusion over whether Hamad was 24 or 27. John Pennington, who represented Hamad at his sentencing, described him as a Sudanese national who is “fairly rootless, with no job or relatives.” When District Judge Charlotte Murphy asked about his immigration status, Hamad replied through an interpreter: “I have an expired card.” He added that he was an asylum seeker.
Less than a fortnight before the Cardiff attack, Hamad had been sentenced for crimes which took place in London. Prosecutor Kevin Withey said: “On August 14 an off-duty female police officer was on a bus on her way to work. The defendant was sitting behind her. She said he was staring at her and making her feel uncomfortable. He reached through the seats and touched her bottom. She grabbed hold of his hand and ripped it away. He then tried to put his arm around her shoulder and she jumped away from him and sought to escape. When she looked back at him he was still sitting on the bus, masturbating.”
Earlier in the summer, at 10am on July 20, Hamad had stood on a busy London street while “openly masturbating”, according to witnesses. Mr Withey told the court: “The complainant said he ejaculated into his hand and wiped it on his trousers. Female witnesses described him pointing at them while behaving in that way. On the same day another lady said she was approached by him from behind and he touched her back with his penis.”
On November 11 he appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court where he was sentenced to a 12-week jail term for the London offences. But because of time already served on remand he was released shortly after that hearing and then moved to Cardiff to sofa-surf with friends. At 3.20am on November 24 he approached two women in their early 20s who were returning home from a party in ball gowns and heels.
Giving evidence during Hamad’s trial, one of the women described how he had appeared “skittish” as he walked up to them near a Tesco Express and put his hand on her friend’s bare shoulder with a “heavy” touch. “He was asking where we lived and if we had any money. We were so intimidated and scared. It was a fight or flight situation. I got in the way to break his grip on my friend and I said, ‘Leave us alone.’ He reacted very angrily. He got very aggressive and struck me with his palm. He grabbed both my arms in a vice grip, which left bruises on my forearms.”
Hamad slapped her three times to the side of her head which caused her glasses to fall off. A man passing by then saw what was happening and intervened. Police were called and took Hamad in for an interview during which he claimed he was the victim of aggression by the two women. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual assault — over the touching of the woman’s shoulder — and to two counts of assault by beating.
Victoria Maud, defending, suggested one of the victims had been “the aggressor” and had grabbed Hamad first. “No,” the woman replied. “It was non-consensual touching by him. We’re just two girls walking home from a night out. We should be able to do that without unsolicited touching.” The other victim told the court she had been “terrified”, adding: “As soon as he was arrested I burst into tears.”
Evidence was also given by Hamad. He said he had been out in the early hours because he was visiting a friend. “I asked the lady for her number,” he told the court. “Out of nowhere I found the other girl stepping in front of me. She started striking me so as a result I held both her hands and I took them towards the wall.” At this point Deputy District Judge Gareth Williams told Hamad to stop pointing at the victims, who were sitting in the public gallery.
Prosecutor Alex Dubljevic asked Hamad whether he found the women attractive. He replied that he did not. Questioned on why he had asked for the phone number, he said: “I wanted to get to know her better.” The prosecutor pressed him: “You’ve never met this girl before. There’s nothing about her personality or anything else that can go through your mind. It’s all about how she looks isn’t it?”
Hamad replied: “I liked her physique and I asked for her number.” But he denied being sexually excited or touching the woman’s shoulder. And in her closing speech Ms Maud argued: “Neither of the women mentioned that any form of touching was done sexually.”
Mr Dubljevic argued that Hamad had clearly made a sexual advance and that he had flown into a “rage” when the women tried to protect themselves from him. Judge Williams agreed. He described the victims as “credible and truthful witnesses” and said CCTV footage supported their accounts.
“I found your evidence contradictory,” he told Hamad. “You said you didn’t find the two victims attractive yet you asked [one of the women] for her number. You said you were attacked first but that is not borne out by the video. I am satisfied the touching of her shoulder brought you sexual gratification as you were attracted to her. It was 3am and she was unable to stop you.”
Judge Williams found Hamad guilty of sexual assault and two counts of assault. The following day he was sentenced by District Judge Charlotte Murphy who said she was concerned by the spree of similar of offences in a matter of months. But Hamad’s solicitor Mr Pennington argued the touching of the shoulder was “far less serious” than the previous sexual assaults.
He added: “He is originally from Sudan and until arriving in this country was conviction-free, so he tells me. He has been homeless for a while and has found it difficult to obtain an address or employment. For that reason he was effectively living on the bounty of friends, sofa-surfing and the like. You may be aware there is a sizeable Sudanese community in Cardiff, which is probably why he first came here.”
Passing sentence, Judge Murphy said: “Your behaviour can only be described as predatory. You have deliberately targeted and approached two lone females. You have intimidated them and assaulted them physically and sexually. I have no doubt this was done for your own sexual gratification. The victims were terrified by your behaviour and described the mental bruising as ‘eternal’. You clearly have an emerging pattern of offending against females.”
The judge jailed Hamad for eight months and ordered him to pay £300 in compensation to one victim and £250 to the other. She also imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order which, she told Hamad, means “you can only be in the company of a lone female if she is aware of your previous convictions for sexual offences or if you have the permission of your managing police officer”.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/man-keeps-sexually-assaulting-women-30804157