A 36-year-old Yemeni man currently housed at Wethersfield Immigration Centre has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a medical worker and committing an act of public indecency.
Muqbil Al Dhaheri appeared before Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Thursday, where he admitted both charges stemming from incidents that occurred on Monday.
The asylum seeker, who entered the United Kingdom in September 2025, remains at the Essex immigration facility while his claim is being processed.
Al Dhaheri committed the sexual assault while receiving treatment at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, before urinating publicly during his return journey to the centre.
Prosecutor Rebecca Debenham told the court that Al Dhaheri had been receiving care in the hospital's intensive care unit when the assault took place.
"He walked towards the nursing station and rubbed his hand down the right-hand side of one of the medical workers – he smirked as he did so," she said.
A colleague of the victim intervened, telling Al Dhaheri to stop his behaviour.
The complainant believes the contact was deliberate rather than accidental.
RAF Wethersfield, one of the ex-RAF bases, being used to house asylum seekers | PAThe prosecutor explained that while being transported back to the immigration centre, Al Dhaheri was informed he had behaved inappropriately during his hospital stay.
Al Dhaheri requested to use the toilet, and when the bus became stuck at traffic lights, he exited the vehicle and began urinating against nearby railings.
The incident was witnessed by multiple members of the public, including a woman and child travelling in the car directly behind the transport vehicle.
Pedestrians walking along the pavement also observed the act.This behaviour formed the basis of the public decency charge to which Al Dhaheri pleaded guilty.
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The prosecutor noted that Al Dhaheri had already been confronted about his conduct at the hospital before committing this second offence during the journey back to Wethersfield.
Deputy District Judge Sarah Hannah adjourned proceedings to allow for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Al Dhaheri was released on conditional bail ahead of his sentencing hearing, scheduled for Monday, 16 February at the same court.
Defence solicitor Chloe Goodey acknowledged her client faces a potential custodial sentence for the offences.
"I would suggest not enough is known about his circumstances in order to sentence him, which is why I make the application for a pre-sentence report," she told the court.
As Al Dhaheri was escorted from the dock following the hearing, he gave a thumbs up gesture to those present in the courtroom.
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