Man jailed after forcing his hand up woman’s skirt
ADRUNK man put his hand up a woman’s skirt and forcefully grabbed her in the street while she was out celebrating her birthday in Cardiff.
Braham Seraie approached the woman, who was walking through Cardiff city centre with two friends on their way to a fast-food restaurant in the early hours of Saturday, February 23 this year.
The 45-year-old pushed his face so close to the woman’s she could smell the alcohol on his breath, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
After ignoring her protests, he reached so far up her skirt her friends said they could see her underwear, and forcefully grabbed her bottom.
When she slapped him hard across the face he became angry, and onlookers had to come to the woman’s aid.
Summarising the case yesterday, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said the woman had been out celebrating her birthday and was walking near the Hayes end of Caroline Street to a fast-food restaurant. She said she was intoxicated.
“As they were walking along [she] was immediately in front of her friends,” Judge Lloyd-Clarke said. “As the three women walked along they passed where you [Seraie] were standing in a doorway. You were very drunk.”
Judge Lloyd-Clarke said Seraie “got in front” of the woman, and leaned in close to her face.
The woman put her hand up and told Seraie to “go away” but he ignored her protests.
“You then went down and reached your hand up her skirt, and grabbed the cheek of her bottom with force,” Judge Lloyd-Clarke said.
The woman then slapped Seraie hard across the face and called him a “sicko” and a “perv”.
“Your reaction to being slapped was to become very angry with [her],” Judge Lloyd-Clarke said.
She added: “You were shouting at her, saying she was a ‘criminal’ and a ‘f***ing bitch’.”
Passers-by and her friends intervened, before two police officers arrived at the scene.
Judge Lloyd-Clarke said officers could see the woman was upset and crying, and arrested Seraie.
A victim impact statement was read to the court by prosecutor Andrew Kendall.
“This incident has had a severe impact on my daily life,” she said. “Since the incident I have been too anxious to go out in the evenings. It has affected my sleep.”
Mr Kendall told the court Seraie had four previous convictions for being drunk and disorderly, battery, failure to comply with a court order and criminal damage.
John Davies, defending, said his client did not have any previous convictions for sexual offences, and said all the individuals involved in the incident were intoxicated to “varying degrees”.
Seraie, of Hannah Street, in Butetown, Cardiff, denied a single count of sexual assault but was found guilty following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
Seraie was sentenced to 16 months in prison and must sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
An application for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was also made by the prosecution.
The application has been listed to be heard on Friday, September 27, at Cardiff Crown Court.