Fawaz Alsamaou, 33, a Syrian refugee, pursued his victim through the dark streets of Cardiff after she left Pulse nightclub, an LGBTQ+ venue, in the early hours of 12 May last year.
CCTV footage captured Alsamaou trailing the woman before ambushing her under a railway bridge. He then grabbed her by the neck and groped her during a terrifying assault.
The woman managed to fight him off and flee before calling police.
Alsamaou was later arrested and charged with sexual assault and intentional strangulation. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 37 months in prison at Newport Crown Court.
Judge Celia Hughes condemned the attack, describing Alsamaou as a “predatory man” who targeted a woman walking home alone at night.
“It was a horrible attack on a woman alone at night in Cardiff,” the judge said.
“She was entitled to walk home alone without being attacked by you. It must have been a petrifying incident and has had a lasting impact on her life.”
The court heard that Alsamaou, who claimed to be a practising Muslim, had travelled to the UK as an asylum seeker and was traced to Yorkshire, around 160 miles from Cardiff, following police enquiries.
Prosecutors said Alsamaou was caught on CCTV loitering near the club’s entrance in a gilet, white T-shirt and jeans before following his victim when she left.
Police identified him through surveillance footage and arrested him days later.
In an emotional victim impact statement, the woman described how the attack had severely affected her mental health and sense of safety.
“I’m always looking over my shoulder and thinking the worst,” she said.
“At the start, I couldn’t work and didn’t leave my house for two weeks. It has really affected my social life, I don’t go out like I used to.”
She added that the incident had worsened her existing mental health struggles, leaving her with sleepless nights and recurring nightmares.
“This isn’t something you can just recover from. The impact has stopped me from doing everyday things and made me scared to go out with friends,” she said.
The court was told Alsamaou would likely face deportation after serving his prison term.
