An Ethiopian asylum seeker living in an Epping Hotel has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman and a 14-year-old girl only days after arriving in the UK by boat.

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu faced a three-day trial at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court after denying all charges against him, having told the court he wasn't a "wild animal".

The court heard that the 38-year-old was offered pizza by the teenage girl and a friend because he looked hungry.

Prosecutor Stuart Cowen had said that he told the youngsters "he wanted to have a baby with each of them" before inviting them back to the former Bell Hotel in Epping, where he was living after arriving in the UK.

The incident sparked protests and counter-protests outside the Hotel in Essex after similar protests were held outside hotels across the country which were housing asylum seekers.

In his closing statements, Mr Cowen said the 14-year-old girl, who the migrant sexually assaulted, was a "reliable and credible witness".

He told the court: "It's clearly a very serious matter which has provoked a widely reported public outcry".

"However the court is not here to comment on the aftermath," Mr Cowen added.

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu

Mr Cowen told District Judge Christopher Williams that the case "must be dealt with the same as any other".

He said Kebatu's explanation, he put forward during the trial, was "so incredible that it lacks any credibility whatsoever".

However, Mr Cowen added that the "evidence of the prosecution witnesses was so credible the Crown say you can be sure" that he was guilty.

The prosecutor did concede Kebatu was "of good character, certainly in this country" where he had no previous convictions or cautions.

The Bell Hotel

Kebatu's lawyer, Molly Dyas, told the court during her closing statements that her client "disputes most of the alleged interaction with this group of children".

She submitted that he did not accept calling the girl "pretty" or making any of the comments except for saying "hi".

"He doesn't accept eating pizza with the group or making any physical contact with anybody," Ms Dyas added.

She directed her comments towards Judge Williams, saying: "He told you at the forefront of his mind was his asylum claim having arrived days before".

But, Judge Williams took just 30 minutes to deliver his guilty verdicts for 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.

The court had earlier heard Kebatu made inappropriate comments to the 14-year-old girl, including "come back to Africa, you would be a good wife" and "do you want to come to the Bell Hotel to have babies then we could go to Kenya with each other".

The girl had told police she "froze" as he sexually assaulted her and that she told Kebatu "no, I'm 14" when he spotted her again in Epping the next day.

The court heard he responded saying: "No, no, it doesn't matter, you could come back to the Bell Hotel with me".

An adult member of the public was also sexually assaulted by the man on July 8 during an incident in which he touched her leg and tried to kiss her when she offered to help him with his CV.

The woman said she felt "shocked" and "uncomfortable" by Kebatu's behaviour.

The adult victim told the court she confronted the man when she saw him talking to a "young schoolgirl".

Kebatu is due to be sentenced on September 23.