Failed Somali Asylum Seeker on Trial for Sex Attack on Teenager

A failed Somalian asylum seeker who trained with Olympic champion Mo Farah has gone on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of sexually assaulting a teenager in a Dorset park.

Abdinasir Elmi, 26, denies charges of sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by touching relating to an incident in Bournemouth Gardens on 22 April 2025.

The prosecution alleges that the defendant targeted an 18-year-old woman after she became separated from her social group while attempting to catch a bus home.

The court heard that Elmi, who was resident at a Bournemouth hotel following the refusal of his asylum application, was captured on CCTV watching groups of young women earlier that evening.

Prosecutor Oliver Hirsch informed the jury that the defendant led the victim past her bus stop and to a secluded bench where he is said to have non-consensually inserted his fingers into her vagina.

It is the Crown’s case that Elmi set out that night with the specific intention of engaging in sexual activity regardless of whether the other party consented.

Elmi, testifying through a Somali interpreter, denied the allegations and insisted that the victim had initiated the encounter by kissing him.

The defendant claimed that he only touched the woman’s stomach over her clothing and that she appeared happy when she left the park to meet a friend.

The court was told that Elmi was an athlete who had participated in training sessions with Mo Farah and was a member of a local athletics club.

Legal records confirmed that the defendant’s application for asylum had been formally turned down by the Home Office and that he was in the process of appealing that decision.

The prosecution highlighted that Elmi’s initial account to the police was a denial that any encounter took place, which was later changed to a claim of consensual contact.

The 18-year-old complainant told the court she managed to kick the defendant off her after the assault began before escaping the gardens.

The trial continues as the jury considers evidence regarding the defendant's movements and the forensic details of the case.

Elmi remains in custody pending the conclusion of the trial at Winchester.