Court hears man sexually assaulted 18-year-old woman in Bournemouth park
Abdinasir Elmi denies the charges
A 26-year-old man sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman in a Bournemouth park after “setting out to have sex with a young woman whether they consented or not”, a court has heard.
Abdinasir Elmi, who was staying at the Roundhouse Hotel in the Dorset seaside resort, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by touching on April 22 2025.
Oliver Hirsch, prosecuting, told the jury that the complainant had spent the evening with friends in the town centre but after her boyfriend and companions left, she aimed to catch a bus home.
She had been set to get a lift home by the mother of a friend, but this was not possible because there was not space in the car, the court heard.
The defendant then approached her and led her to the nearby Bournemouth Gardens, where he assaulted her, Mr Hirsch said.
The prosecutor said: “Whilst all this was going on, it would appear the defendant, Mr Elmi, had been watching her.
“CCTV footage from the town centre shows him standing around looking at the group of young people who were there and not really appearing to engage that much with them.”
Mr Hirsch said that the complainant later told police that “Mr Elmi came over to her when her friends had left and told her he would walk her to the bus stop.
“However, he took her past the bus stop, putting his arm around her, making sure she would have to go with him.
“They went into the gardens together and sat on a bench.”
Mr Hirsch said that it was while on the bench that Elmi is alleged to have sexually assaulted the woman, before she managed to “kick him off”.
The prosecutor said that 26-year-old Elmi, who was assisted by a translator during the hearing, was seen on CCTV footage from earlier in the evening “walking around apparently aimlessly” before “approaching” or “looking at” two young women.
Mr Hirsch said: “The prosecution says that in all likelihood what happened was that Mr Elmi set out that night to have sex with a young woman and didn’t much mind whether she consented or not.”
Elmi denies the charges and the trial continues.