Sudanese Migrant Spared Jail After Violent Incidents at Reading Station and Bournemouth

Image: Jihad Watch

A 30-year-old Sudanese man who assaulted two railway guards at Reading station and later attacked a woman in Bournemouth has been spared immediate custody after a magistrates’ court handed down a suspended prison sentence.

Karam Abdulkarim-Mohamed was involved in a confrontation at Reading railway station in January this year after he attempted to jump a ticket barrier. According to the prosecution, he first tried to leap the barrier around 9.30pm, was stopped, then left the station — only to return about 30 minutes later and force his way through. When two security guards pursued him he hurled abuse at them, shouting that they “can’t stop me” and swearing at them while warning “you don’t know who I am” and declaring “I will teach you a lesson.”

Body-worn and witness accounts presented to the court say Abdulkarim-Mohamed punched one guard twice to the side of the head and spat at the second. The severity of those assaults, and the intimidating language he used, formed the core of the prosecution’s case at Poole Magistrates’ Court.

Separate incident in Bournemouth

Months after the railway station incident, Abdulkarim-Mohamed was involved in a second violent episode in Bournemouth. The court heard he had been set upon by a group of teenagers and, during the altercation, produced a pocket knife which he waved at members of the group. When three passers-by attempted to intervene, he lashed out and struck one woman on the arm. Police later arrested him on suspicion of assault, for carrying a knife and for possessing cocaine.

Background and court appearance

Magistrates were told that Abdulkarim-Mohamed left Sudan in 2019 amid what was described in court as “very big problems” in his homeland. He reportedly spent time in France and Germany before arriving in the UK in 2021. Details about his current immigration status remain unclear. He is understood to be living at Bournemouth’s Roundhouse Hotel, a site that has previously attracted controversy.

At his sentencing appearance, Abdulkarim-Mohamed wore a pair of Nike Air Jordan 4 trainers, noted in court as retailing at around £300. Prosecutor Charles Nightingale outlined the Reading station episode in detail, describing how the defendant returned after being initially stopped, used abusive language and threatened the guards before assaulting them.

Sentence and orders

Rather than immediate imprisonment, the court imposed a 16-week custodial sentence suspended for 12 months. In addition to the suspended term, Abdulkarim-Mohamed was ordered to pay compensation to his victims. He walked out of court after the hearing, having avoided immediate custody but subject to the conditions of the suspended sentence and the requirement to make amends to those he harmed.

The convictions in this case highlight a pattern of aggressive behaviour spanning public transport and a seaside town, as well as the court’s attempt to balance punishment with rehabilitation through a suspended sentence and compensation orders. The full details of any ongoing immigration or criminal proceedings were not disclosed at the hearing.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)