Sri Lankan asylum seeker Kamalathasan Yogarajah has been jailed for sexually assaulting two students as they slept on an overnight National Express coach travelling from London to Liverpool.
The 42-year-old was drunk during the journey in April 2025 and had originally been sitting elsewhere on the coach. But after noticing the women were asleep, he moved closer to them and sexually assaulted both victims.
One woman woke to find Yogarajah touching her leg, with his hand close to the top of her boot and moving upwards. He stopped when she woke, but then sat opposite her and continued staring at her without expression, forcing her to move seats.
The second woman later woke to discover Yogarajah touching her sexually over her skirt. She told him to leave, but he refused and continued staring at her before eventually moving seats.
The women were effectively trapped with Yogarajah on the overnight coach until the journey ended. He was reported to the driver when the coach arrived in Liverpool city centre, and police attended and arrested him.
Yogarajah initially admitted that one of his hands had made physical contact with one of the women, but claimed it had been accidental because he was sleepy and changing his sleeping position. He later failed to attend his trial, leading to a warrant for his arrest, before ultimately admitting two counts of sexual assault and breaching court bail.
The court heard Yogarajah is from Sri Lanka and has no previous convictions in the UK, but police records revealed a pattern of domestic abuse and six safeguarding notifications already issued against him. A pre-sentence report assessed him as posing a high risk of harm to known adults, children and members of the public, while the judge said he had behaved in a “predatory fashion”.
Yogarajah was jailed for 28 months and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.
Despite being a Sri Lankan asylum seeker jailed for sexually assaulting two women, there was no mention during sentencing of any deportation proceedings or recommendation for his removal from the UK. Instead, the court heard he has the right to remain in Britain while his asylum appeal is considered.
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