Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker who was staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping, has been found guilty of all five offences he faced, including sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

What has he been found guilty of?

• Sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl
• Sexual assault of a woman
• Attempted sexual assault of the girl
• Inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity
• Harassment of the girl without violence

What did the judge say?

District Judge Christopher Williams said Kebatu created “a version of events he'd only decided upon when he took the witness stand”.

On why Kebatu gave a no comment police interview, the judge said: "[Kebatu] simply had no answer at the time or one that would stand up to scrutiny."

What happens now?

A report will be written before Kebatu's sentencing on 23 September. The judge acknowledged how "there is so little known about [Kebatu] and his circumstances".

Image source, Julia Quenzler

Alex Forster
Reporting from Epping

The only activity at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex - where Kebatu was staying - has been the gradual build-up of police.

Protests over the summer - approximately two per week at this location since mid-July - have seen the Essex force supported by colleagues from Greater Manchester Police, the Met and officers from Wales.

There are currently no section orders in place - these can include prohibiting face coverings - and the police have not allotted a time any protest should disperse tonight. Both such orders have been implemented in other protests at this hotel.

It's very much watch and wait.

Reacting to the guilty verdicts, Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper says he wants to "pay a personal tribute" to the two victims, and eyewitnesses, for coming forward.

He adds "we’re acutely aware that this incident has attracted widespread public interest".

"We have always said that we treat and investigate every report made to us without fear or favour," he says.

ACC Hooper continues: “We understand the strength of feeling in our community, but no crime should become an excuse for the disorder we have seen at times in Epping.”

Before the guilty verdicts, District Judge Christopher Williams summarised the evidence given by either side during Hadush Kebatu's trial.

He concluded Kebatu created “a version of events he'd only decided upon when he took the witness stand”.

Judge Williams noted that evidence given by the 14-year-old girl and adult woman who alleged sexual assault was "consistent".

He was not persuaded by Kebatu's claim that the woman accusing him of sexual assault had got the 14-year-old girl and her friends to conspire against him.

The judge also acknowledged the "significant press and public interest in this case".

Shadow policing minister Matt Vickers writes in a post on X: "Guilty. Just days after arriving on a small boat."

The Conservative MP adds that "the people of Epping are right to be furious, and deserve protection from this ever happening again".

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)'s Rebecca Mundy says "this was an incident which became a cause of deep concern for the local community".

Mundy, who is deputy chief crown prosecutor with CPS East of England, says: "Our prosecutors worked carefully and impartially to bring this case to justice according to the law.

"Close and effective collaboration between Essex Police and our out-of-hours prosecution team ensured Kebatu was promptly arrested, charged and remanded.

"The CPS is determined to pursue justice for victims, working with our law enforcement partners to hold sex offenders accountable," she says.

Lewis Adams
Reporting from Chelmsford Magistrates' Court

With that, Kebatu is taken down to the cells by two security guards.

He will be held on remand in prison until his sentencing in just under three weeks.

You could feel the tension in court as the judge neared his verdicts.

Stick with us as we bring you reaction from the court.

The judge adjourns sentencing until 23 September so a pre-sentence report can be prepared.

He says the report will help him determine the risk of harm posed by Kebatu, noting "there is so little known about you [Kebatu] and your circumstances".

He warns Kebatu "an immediate custodial sentence" is the most likely outcome, adding: "It is just a question of how long."

Lewis Adams
Reporting from Chelmsford Magistrates' Court

There was no visible reaction from Kebatu as the judge found him guilty on all counts.

He remained leaning on his left hand with his right arm crossed over his chest.

A reminder of the charges Hadush Kebatu has just been found guilty of:

• Sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl
• Sexual assault of a woman
• Attempted sexual assault of the girl
• Inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity
• Harassment of the girl without violence

Hadush Kebatu has been found guilty of all five offences, including sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Lewis Adams
Reporting from Chelmsford Magistrates' Court

You can feel the tension in the courtroom as the judge edges closer to his verdicts.

One man sitting with the family of the 14-year-old girl, alleged to be a victim, is nervously shaking his leg up and down.

Journalists sitting in the public gallery are scribbling away on notepads and typing on laptops as they take the judge's comments down.

During the trial, Mr Kebatu claimed the woman accusing him of sexual assault had got the 14-year-old girl and her friends to conspire against him.

Referencing this, the judge says: "I am not persuaded there is any evidence any of the children fabricated the accounts they gave.

"In fact, some of the inconsistencies… make it less likely they concocted their evidence together."

"There is clear and consistent evidence Mr Kebatu interacted with the children on the 7th and 8th of July," the judge says.

"While Mr Kebatu's account was he only said 'hi', every child witness gave the same account about Mr Kebatu approaching them, asking for pizza, eating pizza with them and talking to them.

"All three of the children who gave evidence Mr Kebatu knew [one of the girls] was 14."

The judge now turns to Mr Kebatu's arrest on 8 July.

He says no DNA belonging to the 14-year-old girl was found on his hands when they were swabbed by police.

A prepared statement was read on Mr Kebatu's behalf ahead of a police interview.

It read: "The client was at the locations that each of these alleged offences took place, but did not commit them.

"He is a man of good character who would not commit such an offence."

The judge says Mr Kebatu worked as a teacher in Ethiopia before he travelled to the UK as an asylum seeker.

He was then placed at The Bell Hotel in Epping.

Before starting his remarks, the judge says he is aware of the huge interest in Mr Kebatu's trial.

"It is not lost on me the significant press and public interest in this case," he says.

"I appreciate the importance of reporting and open justice."

His remarks will be made publicly available online shortly after today's hearing, he adds.

Daniel Sandford
Reporting from Chelmsford Magistrates' Court

The judge is still running through evidence given throughout the trial.

District Judge Christopher Williams says that the 14-year-old girl was ”consistent throughout her evidence".

The judge adds that the adult woman who alleges sexual assault and called the police was ”a consistent witness".

Lewis Adams
Reporting from Chelmsford Magistrates' Court

Mr Kebatu appears to be breathing heavily as the judge begins outlining the evidence against him.

He continues to lean on his left hand and watches on as the judge speaks.

A packed public gallery also listens intently ahead of the imminent verdicts.

The judge has returned to the courtroom and is about to deliver his verdicts.

The judge's clerk says Mr Kebatu is on his way up from the cells.

We were expecting to hear from the judge at 15:30 BST but he's yet to return to his seat.

As soon as he does, we'll cover what he says along with his final verdict. Stick with us.