Asylum seeker who fled custody after after sex attack on two girls jailed – as victim reveals she tried to end own life

A MIGRANT who fled custody after committing sex attacks against two teen girls has been jailed, as one of his victims says she tried to take her own life. Iranian migrant Pirouz Mofrad, 23, tried to grab two girls, aged 15 and 14, in two different incidents while they were out with their friends. Mofrad was sentenced for two counts of sexual assault at Southampton Crown Court Credit: Solent Mofrad escaped custody in November last year and was on the run overnight Credit: Solent Mofrad, who entered the UK in 2023 and claimed asylum, was jailed for two years over the sick sex attacks. In one sickening attack the migrant grabbed a girl at a bus stop and told her he “just wanted to touch her.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! He continued to try and grab her while saying the word “coochie”, a court heard. He was “staring” at the girl in Southampton, Hampshire, in December 2023 before approaching her at a busy bus stop. A court was told that the victim’s friend was “sufficiently worried” to move but that Mofrad came over and grabbed the victim’s arm and tried to grab her bottom. The teen pleaded with Mofrad that she was “too young” but he ignored her while showing her on his own body his breasts and genitals. The 15-year-old said that after the attack she has “felt anxiety, sadness, anger and fear” and even admitted that she tried to “end her life.” Mofrad attacked his second victim in the city centre in February 2024. Most read in The Sun He approached the 14-year-old while she was with friends and “creeped them out.” He proceeded to try to grab the 14-year-old while saying words like “coochie” to her and her friends. The incidents were reported and Mofrad was taken into custody and remanded to HMP Wandsworth with a Sexual Risk Order. He was then moved to a mental health hospital with a provisional diagnosis of schizophrenia. He managed to escape the facility on November 5, 2025, and was on the run for a night before being brought back into custody. His two victims have since told how they are “scared and worried” he will do it again. Mofrad was convicted by a jury at Lewes Crown Court of escaping from lawful custody on May 1, 2026, he also has two prior convictions of criminal damage. He has now been sentenced at Southampton Crown Court for two counts of attempted sexual assault after being found guilty following a trial at the same court in July 2026. The 15-year-old victim read a statement to the court about how the attack affected her. She said: “The incident has had a substantial and lasting impact on my emotional wellbeing. The effects have stayed with me long after it happened. “I have found myself thinking about what happened when I don’t want to. I feel like I’m reliving what happened. “There have been times that I have just wanted it to stop. At my lowest points I have tried to end my life. This is something I never thought I would experience. “I just wanted to make the pain stop. I have felt anxiety, sadness, anger and fear. It has affected the way I see other people. “There are times I question myself and wonder if I could have done something differently even though I know it’s not my fault. “It has affected my relationships and my ability to be around other people. “It’s hard to explain to people how something happened in the past can affect me in the present. “What happened took away a part of my sense of safety and peace. I’m still trying to understand how deeply it has affected me. I don’t want it to define me for the rest of my life.” Judge Nicholas Rowland addressed the victim to assure her: “It’s hard to imagine the amount of courage it has taken, not just to make the report to the police in the first place but to come to these proceedings. “So when you say you hope it will not define you, you may want to reflect on the courage you have shown in these proceedings and see that it has not defined you – quite the opposite.” Sentencing the asylum seeker, Judge Rowland continued: “Pirouz Mofrad, I have to sentence you for two offences for attempted sexual assaults of what were then 14 and 15 year old girls. “These were similar offences against teenage girls who were entitled to feel safe with their friends in the busy city centre and not be accosted by you. “One was 15 with a friend and it was dark. You were staring at them at the bus stop. “Her friend was sufficiently worried to move the victim, but you grabbed her arm and then tried to grab her bottom. “She said she was too young and you said you just wanted to touch her. “You signalled on your body to your breasts and genitals. You circled them as they waited for the bus. “The other victim, who was 14, was with friends who were creeped out by your behaviour. You tried to grab her while saying words like ‘coochie’. “The first victim said she was scared and worried you might do it for others. She felt that way for a year and couldn’t stand close to people. “She felt sick for months thinking about you. She overdosed shortly after the incident on medication for anxiety and depression. “Her mother said her mental health had regressed and her school performance severely impacted. “She has told me in court about the lasting emotional impact this has had on her wellbeing. She has tried to take her life. “She has experienced anxiety, sadness, anger and fear. She has said to her credit that she did not want this to define her, and I think we can see from these proceedings that they will not.” If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.