Predator Targets Vulnerable Woman Outside Colchester Bookshop
Shoukkathali Kaniyarakkal, 42, a former Claridge’s hotel worker, has been jailed for sexually assaulting a vulnerable woman outside Waterstones in Colchester.
The victim, appearing homeless and exhausted, was sitting on steps around 10pm on September 7 when Kaniyarakkal approached her. She told the court she felt “tired” and had “nowhere to go.”
Twice Returns to Groom Before Assault
Kaniyarakkal first checked if the woman was ok, then left. But he came back twice, asking where she lived. When she said “nowhere,” he grabbed her wrist and promised to “look after her.”
Though uneasy, the woman hoped he was “trying to be nice.” That hope was crushed when Kaniyarakkal suddenly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her without consent.
She was left “in disbelief” as he groped her over clothes, pinching her nipple and rubbing her intimate areas. The victim managed to push him away and ran to a nearby restaurant for help.
Repeat Offender Handed Jail and Faces Deportation
Kaniyarakkal, from Colchester’s Hesper Road, was already on a deportation order after serving eight months for a similar assault while working at Claridge’s in February last year.
At Ipswich Crown Court, Judge David Pugh slammed Kaniyarakkal for deliberately preying on a vulnerable woman. He sentenced him to 10 months behind bars, with half to be served in custody and the rest on licence.
Kaniyarakkal will also stay on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, facing deportation once released.
