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Qatari camel herder brought to Britain for a heart operation tried to rape woman in Chelsea hospital - then blamed it on having 'little interaction' with women in his home country
A Qatari camel herder who sexually assaulted a woman at a specialist heart clinic blamed the attack on having 'little interaction' with women in his home country.
Nasser Al-Gherainiq has been jailed for seven years and will be deported after his release after dragging his woman into the toilet at the world famous Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, southwest London.
The 27-year-old had travelled to Britain for treatment for a rare heart condition. He dragged the woman inside the toilet cubicle on August 23, 2023, and sexually assaulted her for five minutes, Southwark Crown Court heard.
He denied two counts of attempted rape and claimed that as a member of a conservative Bedouin tribe in Qatar he would not have had much contact with women outside his family.
Jane Bickerstaff KC, defending, said: 'Until July 2023 he had never left Qatar.
'He would have had minimal experience engaging with women outside a family context. The only woman he would have had any meaningful contact with is his mother.'
Ms Bickerstaff added: 'Limited visits to Doha and a preference for a desert environment curtailed his exposure to urban and modern societal norms.
'This defendant would have had no experience whatsoever of interacting with a woman.
'We submit that he was equivalent to an immature and inexperienced adolescent. 'He completely failed to understand her true feelings.'
Jurors convicted Al-Gherainiq of the two counts of attempted rape, however, on top of sexual assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without their consent, to which he had previously admitted.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, his victim said: 'I was so scared. I felt frozen with fear.
'I couldn't go anywhere. Although the incident lasted a few minutes it felt like ages to me. I was very shocked to hear it was only five minutes.
'A few days after the incident I had huge anxiety and fear. I could not leave the house.
'My life has never been the same. My family still do not know what happened to me. I am so close to my family.
'It has been a lonely and isolated year for me. I am not the outgoing woman I used to be. I am withdrawn and highly anxious and overly cautious, especially when I'm on my own in an unfamiliar environment.'
Judge Adam Hiddleston told Al-Gherainiq, aided in the dock by an Arabic interpreter, that he accepted there were cultural difference between the UK and Qatar but added:
'You knew perfectly well what you were doing was against her wishes.' The effect his actions had on the woman had been profound, the judge added.
'She has suffered from difficulty sleeping, nightmares and flashbacks. She is now receiving therapy,' he added.
'Clearly what you did has had a devastating effect on her. There is evidence of severe psychological harm.'
The judge jailed Al-Gherainiq for seven years minus the 415 days he has served on remand.
He will be returned to Qatar when he has served his sentence, judge Hiddleston added.
