Description
A north London hotel worker raped a hotel guest and sexually assaulted other women by touching their feet as they slept.
Ahmed Fahmy, 45, abused his position as a member of staff at the Anchor Hotel on Golders Green’s West Heath Drive to carry out his sick offences, targeting two members of the same group in January this year.
On Thursday, Fahmy was convicted of one count of rape and three sexual assaults, one of which had taken place while he was working at the Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Newham in March 2022.
Police on Friday warned that there could be more victims, and urged them to come forward if so.
Hendon Magistrates Court heard how a group of four women were staying at the Anchor Hotel when they became separated on a night out with three of them returning.
When they got there, they realised they did not have the room key, and Fahmy demanded one of the women withdraw £80 from a cash machine so that she could stay in another room.
She got into bed fully dressed apart from her shoes and awoke to find Fahmy licking her foot.
She told him no and to go away, but she was then woken a second time to find him doing a similar thing. The woman kicked him and again told him to go away.
Later that morning, the fourth member of the group arrived back at the hotel and told Fahmy she had lost her key. He manoeuvred her into his bedroom where he raped her.
The offending came to light when the women moved to a different hotel immediately after. One of the women again was separated from her friends in Regent’s Park and became distressed.
A park staff member called the police but she could not tell them where her new hotel was, with officers suggesting they go back to the Anchor Hotel where they hoped to find contact details for her friends.
She then started crying and told the officers that she could not return to the hotel as the manager had raped her.
During the course of the investigation, detectives linked Fahmy to two other non-recent sexual assaults, which largely centred on him touching women’s feet, including a sex attack on a woman while on a date in 2008 in Wembley’s Alliance Close.
Met Detective Constable James Gomm, who led the investigation, said: “Fahmy displayed a clear pattern of offending where he abused his position as a hotel worker to get close to his victims and carry out his crimes.”
DC Gomm praised those who had shared what happened with police, saying: “Your bravery has helped put a sexual offender behind bars and protect other women.
“There may be other victims of Fahmy and, if so, I would urge them to get in contact with police immediately – you will be listened to and provided with support.”
Fahmy will be sentenced at the same court on September 20.