A 20-year-old Sri Lankan asylum seeker has appeared in court accused of abducting, raping, and assaulting a 15-year-old girl while residing in a government-funded migrant hotel in west London.
Yashin Himasara, who was staying at the three-star St Giles Hotel in Feltham — a facility repurposed by the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers — is alleged to have carried the teenager away against her will on November 1. Prosecutors claim he then subjected her to a violent attack, including beating and strangling her.
Himasara appeared via video link from HMP Wormwood Scrubs at Isleworth Crown Court this week, where he pleaded not guilty to seven serious charges: one count of kidnapping, one count of rape, one count of assault by penetration, one count of assault by beating, one count of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of intentional strangulation.
During the hearing, defence solicitor Bozzie Sheffi informed Judge Kwame Inyundo that Himasara has limited English proficiency and will require an interpreter for the upcoming trial.
The judge remanded Himasara in custody, with the trial scheduled to begin on April 27, 2026.
The Home Office has declined to comment on the defendant’s asylum status.
The case has drawn attention amid ongoing debates over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers and concerns about public safety. Himasara remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.