Chilling moment asylum seeker follows woman before strangling and sexually assaulting her

Horror CCTV footage shows the moment an asylum seeker decided to follow a woman through Cardiff city centre before strangling and sexually assaulting her. Fawaz Alsamaou picked out and trailed his victim before attacking her under a bridge in the Welsh capital on May 12, 2024, a sentencing at Newport Crown Court heard. Alsamaou, 33, was shown walking around Pulse nightclub wearing a gilet, jeans and a white t-shirt in CCTV footage taken moments before the attack.

The woman was then filmed leaving the LGBTQ venue, before Alsamaou, a Syrian migrant who was unknown to her, followed her out. A jury was told that the 33-year-old continued to follow his victim to a railway bridge near Salisbury Road in the Cathays area, where he put his hand under her dress, pulled her neck and grabbed her crotch for seven seconds.

The woman managed to push him away and fled the scene, later contacting police.

Alsamaou was identified as a suspect after CCTV footage emerged following an appeal for information on BBC Crimewatch.

The 33-year-old, who lives in Huddersfield after moving to the UK from Syria, was arrested by police and admitted sexual assault and intentional strangulaton.

He was sentenced to 37 months in prison and was told he is "highly likely to be deported" after completing the jail term.

His victim said the assault has had a "lasting effect" on her, leaving her "always looking over my shoulder and thinking the worst".

"At the start, I couldn't work and I didn't leave my house for two weeks," an impact statement read in court said. "I feel uneasy when it's dark outside.

"It has really affected my social life and I don't go out like I used to. I suffer with my mental health generally but this incident really hit that harder.

"I can barely sleep and I have nightmares relating to it. I'm working to get over it but this isn't something you can just recover from."