A twenty-year-old woman was allegedly strangled by an asylum seeker residing at a hotel in London, which provides taxpayer-funded accommodation for migrants.
The twenty-six-year-old suspect was taken into custody following the March incident, but has since been released while police continue their enquiries.
The alleged perpetrator had been staying at the hotel when the assault occurred, according to reports from the Mail on Sunday.
The young woman reportedly encountered her alleged attacker near the migrant accommodation before the physical assault took place at a nearby supermarket.
The victim was initially subjected to cat-calling outside the hotel accommodation before the situation escalated the next day.
The physical assault allegedly occurred inside a Tesco shop, where the woman claims she was seized by the throat.
Following her ordeal, she expressed being "terrified" upon encountering the suspect moving freely through the neighbourhood after his arrest.
Metropolitan Police officers also detained the man on suspicion of possessing stolen property after discovering a bank card bearing someone else's name in his possession.
PA
|A twenty-year-old woman was allegedly strangled by an asylum seeker residing at a hotel in London, which provides taxpayer-funded accommodation for migrants
Despite these allegations, he was subsequently released pending further investigation by the authorities.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "It’s not always possible to charge someone immediately after arrest as there is often further evidence to gather to build a case to the required evidential standard.
"There is no mechanism to hold a person in custody for an extended period prior to charge… We acknowledge that in this case, the investigation has taken longer than we would ideally have wanted."
The case forms part of a wider pattern of incidents involving migrants housed in Government-funded accommodation, including a sexual assault allegation in Rugby involving a Sudanese national.
GETTY | Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across the UK against the use of migrant hotels
Ahmed Muhammad Almahi, a thirty-two-year-old Sudanese national described as an illegal immigrant, faces charges of sexually assaulting a woman in Rugby, approximately two miles from the hotel where he resides.
The alleged incident occurred last Monday evening, with Almahi appearing before Coventry Magistrates' Court and being held in custody until his September hearing at Warwick Crown Court.
The case prompted demonstrations outside the hotel, drawing hundreds of protesters over two days.
Local Conservative councillor Yousef Dahmash criticised police for withholding Almahi's immigration status, saying: "I didn't think it would prejudice someone's case if their immigration status was revealed."
PA | Protesters have been taking to the streets across the nation in demonstration against the use of migrant hotels
Law enforcement agencies and governing authorities "should always be as transparent as possible" about criminal cases, the Prime Minister's official spokesman suggested.
The No10 spokesman said: "We’ve always said and continue to say that transparency is important, and that is our position. That from the police up to central Government, we should always be as transparent as possible when it comes to cases.
"I think our position is always that the police and the courts are operationally independent in these cases, that’s obviously essential to democracy and confidence in the judicial system.
"But as I say, more broadly, our position is that authorities, whether it is the police or whether it’s central Government, should be as transparent as possible on these issues.”