Man jailed for six years over sexual offences after Cardiff break-in

Nation.Cymru staff

A man who broke into a Cardiff family home and committed sexual offences in front of two children has been jailed for six years.

Mohammed Abbas, 29, entered the house shortly before 2am on 30 July and went into a bedroom where three sisters were asleep. Cardiff Crown Court heard that he exposed himself and masturbated in front of them before fleeing when the disturbance woke other members of the family.

Judge Lucy Crowther sentenced Abbas on Tuesday to six years in prison with an extended licence period of three years, citing the “real and imminent” risk he posed to women and girls.

Abbas pleaded guilty in October to burglary, trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence and two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. His guilty pleas meant the victims did not have to give evidence in court.

The court heard that one of the sisters woke to find Abbas crouched in a corner of the bedroom. She screamed, waking her sisters. The judge said Abbas moved further into the room despite their screams and got so close to one of the girls that she repeatedly struck him with a pillow.

“I’m satisfied you intended to rape at least one of these girls,” Judge Crowther told him.

CCTV from neighbouring properties led police to Abbas, who was arrested at his accommodation in Grangetown at about 3.30pm the same day. Officers recovered a pair of AirPods and a jacket stolen from the family’s home. Abbas initially denied the offences, but his DNA was also linked to the bedroom door handle.

In a statement read to the court, the girls’ mother said the break-in had affected her daughters’ emotional wellbeing, their education and their ability to feel safe at home.

“The hardest part is knowing that I can’t simply take these memories away from them,” she said. “I can comfort them and support them but I can’t undo what happened.”

The court heard that Abbas committed the offences 16 days after he was given a 12-month community order for assaulting a police officer and battery following an incident at a hotel in Warwick.

Drunk

David Pinnell, defending, said Abbas had been drunk at the time of the Cardiff offences and had since “accepted full responsibility”. He said Abbas was living in accommodation provided by the Home Office and that his asylum application was awaiting a decision.

Detective Chief Inspector Catherine Loosemore, of South Wales Police, said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe in their own home and our immediate response on July 30 meant Mohammed Abbas was arrested later the same day.”

She added: “It must have been absolutely terrifying for them, and they have been extremely brave throughout this ordeal.”