Record details
Iraqi National Convicted of Rape at London Hostel
Yousif Al-Maliki, 30, an Iraqi national who entered the UK by small boat, has been convicted of raping a woman at the Astor Hostel in South Kensington on Friday, August 1, 2025.
Al-Maliki denied the charge, but a jury at Southwark Crown Court found him guilty by a majority of 10 to two after a week-long trial.
Judge Christopher Hehir told him: “You have been convicted by a jury of a very serious offence. Be under no illusion, you will be going to prison for some time.”
The court heard the attack took place in a 12-bed dormitory at the hostel. Al-Maliki was staying at the Home Office-approved Peckham Lodge Hotel in south London at the time of his arrest. He was assisted in court by an Arabic interpreter, although the judge noted: “He understands English perfectly well.”
Prosecutor Jose Olivares-Chandler described the offence as arising from “a hostel scenario where the defendant was in a dormitory with 12 beds.”
Al-Maliki’s asylum claim has been paused pending the criminal case. His defence said he is a bisexual Iraqi national who entered the UK illegally but was fleeing persecution.
Judge Hehir has ordered a probation service assessment for dangerousness before sentencing. Al-Maliki remains in custody and will be sentenced on Tuesday, April 21.
