Asylum seeker jailed after exposing himself to girls in their bedroom

An asylum seeker who arrived in the UK in March has been jailed after breaking into a family home and exposing himself to two children.

Mohammed Abbas, 29, entered the home in Cardiff on 30 July 2025 and went into the bedroom where the two children and their older sister were sleeping.

He previously pleaded guilty to burglary, trespass on a premises with intent to commit a sexual offence, and two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. He was sentenced to six years in prison.

The victims' mother said: "It has affected my daughters' emotional wellbeing, their education and the ability to feel safe in their home. Every child deserves to feel safe in their own home."

Warning: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.

On Tuesday, Cardiff Crown Court heard that Abbas was drunk and walking along a street in the city when he began trying to open the windows of houses.

Judge Lucy Crowther said: "Once inside, you went upstairs and whilst there you went into a bedroom. There were three young women asleep in that room, three sisters who shared that room.

"At or around two o'clock in the morning, [one of the sisters] was woken from her sleep.

"She looked around and saw you. You were crouched down in the corner of the room."

She said the girl initially thought Abbas was her brother and called out to him, to which he replied "sorry".

The girl began to scream, waking her sisters, one of whom said she saw Abbas briefly leave the room.

The judge said Abbas came back in and exposed himself and "must have realised then that these were all young women".

"You repeatedly asked the girls whether they wanted to have sex with you, you asked that three times."

Crowther said while the girls were screaming in "obvious fear of you", Abbas masturbated in their bedroom "right in front of them as they lay in their beds".

"Their screams did not put you off, on the contrary, you moved further into their bedroom."

The judge said: "You got so close to [one of the girls] she ended up hitting you with a pillow, for she didn't know what else to do.

"She struck you repeatedly."

The commotion awoke other members of the household, who turned on their lights, causing Abbas to flee and leaving the girls "crying hysterically".

It was later discovered that Abbas had also stolen Apple AirPods belonging to one of the girls while inside the property and a jacket belonging to their father.

The judge said the incident was said to have taken place over a minute and a half "that to those young women must've felt like a lifetime of terror".

Addressing Abbas, she added: "You had no regard for that family or for those three young women as they slept.

"This offending was entirely about you and your sexual gratification, at any cost.

"This type of offending strikes unimaginable terror and fear into the hearts of right-minded people."

The judge added: "I'm satisfied you intended to rape at least one of these girls."

CCTV footage from neighbouring properties led officers to Abbas, and he was arrested at his accommodation in Cardiff, where he lived alone.

He initially denied the offences and said he had only left the house that night to buy food, but the AirPods and jacket were found in his home, and his DNA was also linked to the door handle of the girls' bedroom.

The court heard Abbas had been living in accommodation provided by the Home Office at the time and was in receipt of a £30 a week allowance, which he spent on food, alcohol, tobacco and cannabis.

He was said to have previously expressed misogynistic views and has since exposed himself to prison staff while in custody.

The judge said she was imposing a sentence of six years in custody with an extended licence period of three years because of the "real and imminent" risk Abbas posed to women and girls, adding that the earliest point he could be deported would be after completing his custodial term.

In a statement read to the court, the girls' mother said: "The hardest part is knowing that I can't simply take these memories away from them.

"I can comfort them and support them but I can't undo what happened.

"My daughters should not have been deprived of that basic sense of security and that is something no parent should ever have to witness."

Rebecca Griffiths, prosecuting, said Abbas had one previous conviction for assault of a constable and battery, which had been committed at a hotel in Warwick, where he had been a resident.

He was sentenced for these offences on 14 July and handed a 12-month community order, and that his offending in Cardiff took place 16 days after that order was made.

David Pinnell, defending, said Abbas, who said he was Palestinian, was drunk at the time of his offending in Cardiff and has since "accepted full responsibility" for his behaviour.

Det Ch Ins Catherine Loosemore, from South Wales Police, said: "Stranger incidents such as these are extremely unusual in Cardiff but in Abbas we had a dangerous individual.

"We hope today's sentencing provides some reassurance to the victims and allows them to regain their confidence.

"It must have been absolutely terrifying for them, and they have been extremely brave throughout this ordeal."