‘Dangerous predator’ jailed for town centre sex assault on vulnerable woman in Scarborough

At around 2:35am on Sunday, November 26 2023, a woman in her 40s was sexually assaulted in Scarborough town centre.

It was witnessed and filmed by a council CCTV operator who had spotted Muhamed Enwar Fadhlallah, 19 from Scarborough loitering watching groups of women, the court heard.

The victim had been drinking and was lying on the ground.

Despite the woman’s friend saying they did not need any help when Fadhlallah approached them, he picked the victim up before cuddling and stroking her.

The CCTV operator gave evidence stating that the defendant was seen to be touching the woman’s breasts over her clothing in a deliberate manner on more than one occasion.

Police were then alerted to the incident and carried out a review of the footage.

Fadhlallah was arrested, taken into custody for questioning, and later released on conditional bail while enquiries continued.

The 19-year-old denied sexually assaulting the woman.

At the trial, Fadhlallah was found not guilty of raping another woman at the cemetery on Dean Road just before 2am on Saturday, July 20, 2024.

However, he was found guilty of sexual assault on the vulnerable woman in 2023 at the conclusion of a trial at York Crown Court on April 8, 2025.

On Thursday (May 8), he was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment and placed on the Register of Sex Offenders for five years.

Detective Sergeant Michele Fawcett, from the Major Investigation Team, said: “The quick-thinking actions of the CCTV operator and the attending police officers were crucial in identifying Fadhlallah as the suspect of the sexual assault.

“He has been proved to be a dangerous predator who sought out a vulnerable woman for his own sexual gratification.

“The victim has been incredibly brave to support the prosecution of this dangerous man.”