Asylum seeker jailed and faces deportation after being convicted of sexual assault

Wahid Maliki had met the victim on a social media site and she invited him to visit her in the Sunderland area.

Newcastle Crown Court heard there was some consensual sexual activity between them but then Maliki took things further than she said she would allow.

Maliki, 40, of Hebron Avenue, Morpeth, Northumberland, who had been in the UK for less than a year, denied sexual assault but was convicted by a jury after a trial.

The woman said in an impact statement, which was read in court: "He has destroyed my life completely.

"My home was once a safe haven and now I hate being in the house.

"My ideal scenario would be to move house but I can't afford to do this financially, I feel trapped in the house.

"I have regular flashbacks. When I can get to sleep I'm woken up by nightmares."

Mr Recorder Paul Reed sentenced Maliki, who had the assistance of a Farsi interpreter at the hearing, to 12 months behind bars and said deportation in his case is a "virtual certainty".

The recorder told him: "You came into this country as an asylum seeker and your application for asylum was being processed by the Home Office at the time of your arrest.

"You had sought friendship through a social media platform and met the complainant. By this time you had been in the UK for just under 12 months.

"You are described as being lonely at the time and without friends.

"You went to her home at her invitation. It commenced with consensual sexual activity between you but concluded with her calling the police on the 999 emergency service."

The court heard Maliki has no previous convictions and has spent around seven months in custody on remand.