An asylum seeker who knocked a woman unconscious outside a nightclub evaded police for 10 weeks despite facing three arrest warrants. Abdoela Berhan, 35, was eventually arrested after he turned himself in at a closed courthouse and then a police station.
Berhan punched Cleo Lake, then 20, in the face outside a Bournemouth nightclub on November 30, 2024, after she and her friends rejected his advances. The attack left Miss Lake with a broken nose and a black eye. The court heard that Berhan had approached Miss Lake and her friends and made them uncomfortable before Miss Lake told him to leave. He then allegedly began swearing and invaded her personal space, prompting her to push him away, which he responded to by punching her. Berhan later claimed he acted in self-defense.
Just a week before assaulting Miss Lake, Berhan was convicted of attacking a Subway worker. He spat at and kicked Sahjan Chowdhury after being asked to leave the premises. He was apprehended hours later when he returned to the same branch as a delivery driver.
Berhan failed to appear for three court hearings within a two-week period, leading to the issuance of arrest warrants. He had been moved from Bournemouth to an asylum hotel in Warwick, approximately 138 miles away, in January. Dorset Police visited his last known address at the Britannia Hotel in Bournemouth after the first warrant was issued on April 23 but were informed he no longer resided there.
Despite efforts to liaise with other agencies and police forces, officers were unable to locate Berhan for over 10 weeks. He was finally arrested on July 2 after traveling from Warwick to Poole Magistrates' Court to answer bail, only to discover the building was closed for renovations. He then proceeded to a police station, identified himself, and was arrested when his identity revealed the outstanding warrants.
Cleo Lake's mother, Helen O'Brien, criticized the police response, calling it "absolutely ridiculous." She expressed frustration that authorities were aware of his whereabouts but this information was not effectively filtering through to the courts. "It seems like they do not care that people like him are committing these offences," O'Brien stated. "I'm happy he's been caught and Cleo can hopefully move on, but I'm so disappointed in our police forces. It's crazy the amount of time it has taken."
In February, Berhan was also arrested for refusing to comply with a police dispersal order outside a Bournemouth nightclub. He was also charged with criminal damage after allegedly spitting on the floor of a police van and later that month, smashed a window in his hotel room, admitting criminal damage though claiming he had a nightmare.
Berhan has admitted to the assault on Miss Lake, criminal damage, other assaults, and three counts of failing to surrender to court bail. He is scheduled to be sentenced later this month, with the District Judge suggesting he is "almost certainly" facing imprisonment.
The Britannia Hotel, where Berhan was staying, has been described as Britain's "most dangerous asylum hotel" due to a series of convictions for violent offenses by its residents. Protests have occurred regarding the Home Office's use of the hotel and two others in the area to house asylum seekers.