Tunisian Migrant Who Said “I Love You” Before Kissing and Sexually Assaulting a Woman Denied It and Told a Lie, But the Court Exposed Him

A Tunisian migrant has been found guilty after carrying out a series of sexual attacks on five women in Jersey during the early hours of November 30 last year. The attacks happened over a period of around 90 minutes and left several victims frightened and deeply traumatised. Prosecutors described his actions as a violent and disturbing spree that targeted women who were simply going about their normal lives.

The man, 27-year-old Abdelkarim Arfaoui, faced 10 criminal charges. These included attempted rape, five counts of sexual touching without consent, one count of grave and criminal assault, two counts of common assault, and one count of threatening or abusive behaviour. After hearing all the evidence during an eight-day trial, a jury at Jersey’s Royal Court spent around four hours considering the case before finding him guilty on every charge.

The court heard that police first received emergency calls at around 7am. The first victim reported that she had been sexually assaulted and punched in the face in St Helier. Just 20 minutes later, another woman contacted police to say she had also been sexually assaulted while walking to work.

CCTV footage shown to the jury captured Arfaoui moving around the streets before approaching women. One video showed him forcing a woman against a wall, telling her “I love you” before kissing her without her consent. Police arrested him only eight minutes after the second victim called for help.

After news of the arrest became public, three more women came forward and reported that they had also been attacked by Arfaoui during the same period.

When he was questioned by police, Arfaoui denied doing anything wrong. Officers said he appeared to smirk during interviews and repeatedly claimed that “nothing happened.” He told police he had simply been on his way to work.

Throughout the trial, he continued to deny the offences despite the CCTV evidence shown to the jury. He claimed he had not shown any sexual interest towards the women. He also told the court that he had been “really, really lost” because he was new to Jersey. He further claimed that some of the women had approached him for sex because he was drunk, but the jury rejected his version of events.

The victims spoke about the lasting emotional impact the attacks had on their lives. One woman told the court she was left feeling “disgusted, dirty and lost” and said she now struggles to sleep because of what happened. Another victim said she is now afraid to leave her home alone because she worries she could be attacked again.

During the trial, Arfaoui did not apologise to any of the five women and showed no remorse for his actions. Following the guilty verdicts, he was remanded into custody and placed on the sex offenders register while awaiting sentencing.

After the case concluded, Jersey Police praised the courage of the women who reported the attacks and helped bring the case to court. Detective Constable Jack Maguire said crimes like these are rare, but police are committed to thoroughly investigating offenders and making sure they face justice.

He said the guilty verdicts were only possible because the five women bravely came forward and supported the investigation. He also thanked members of the public who responded to police appeals and provided important information, saying their help was vital in building the strong case presented in court.

Arfaoui is due to appear before the Royal Court again on Friday, when he will be sentenced for the offences.